Smith’s Error-Filled Climate Op-Ed

In an op-ed for Fox News, Rep. Lamar Smith, the chairman of the House science committee, made a host of false and misleading claims about climate change and related issues:

• Smith took a quote by climate scientist Stephen Schneider out of context, claiming he advised other researchers in his field to “never express doubt” about their work to the public.
• Smith said climate scientists have predicted “global temperatures would increase more than one degree Celsius by 2020,” but observed temperatures have been “half as high.” Since the late 19th century, the planet has already warmed about 1.1 C, says NASA.
• He said research shows the Paris agreement “would decrease warming only 0.16 degree Celsius by 2100.” But the author of that study said his research was cherry-picked.
• He claimed the U.N. Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change has “low confidence” that climate change contributes to extreme weather. The IPCC’s confidence in 2012 varied from medium to low. Newer reports by other organizations have increased confidence.
• He said “the historical record disproves” climate scientists who have “tried to link [hurricanes] and climate change.” But there is evidence to suggest there’s a link.
• He claimed wildfires are “decreasing in frequency.” But they’ve increased in total acreage — the metric scientists use to measure fire behavior.

Smith, who announced his  from Congress when his term ends this year, primarily argued in his March 12  that the House Science, Space and Technology Committee — unlike “climate alarmists” — “follows the scientific method, which welcomes critiques, avoids exaggerated predictions,