Please post any comments you’d like Gavin to see here, and I’ll send them his way.
AGU: “In recognition of his exceptional work as a climate communicator, the American Geophysical Union (AGU) has selected Gavin Schmidt as the recipient of its inaugural Climate Communications Prize.”
One of the great things about climate blogging is that you get to know so many other terrific bloggers. One of the best is NASA’s Gavin Schmidt, winner of the first ever $25,000 Climate Communications Prize from the American Geophysical Union, the largest organization of earth and space scientists. News release here.
Schmidt is the “driving force” behind, RealClimate, one of the sites that inspired me to blog. I have gotten to know him over the years, and he is one of the most tireless champions of climate science in the world. And he does not suffer deniers gladly.
I have excerpted and reposted his insightful and incisive writing here many times. Who can forget his evisceration of Judith Curry (see “BEST climate joke: Hockey Stick fight at the you’re-not-OK Corral“)?
Gavin was particularly amazing during the Climategate nonsense. And yet he delivering straightforward yet powerful scientific answers, such as this response to a commenter who asked, “Gavin, In your opinion, what percentage of global warming is due to human causes vs. natural causes?”:
Over the last 40 or so years, natural drivers would have caused cooling, and so the warming there has been (and some) is caused by a combination of human drivers and some degree of internal variability. I would judge the maximum amplitude of the internal variability to be roughly 0.1 deg C over that time period, and so given the warming of ~0.5 deg C, I’d say somewhere between 80 to 120% of the warming. Slightly larger range if you want a large range for the internal stuff. – gavin
In short, virtually all of the warming in recent decades is from human causes. Sorry deniers.
So what exactly is the AGU’s Climate Communications Prize given for?
This new Union prize, generously funded by Nature’s Own, will honor an AGU member-scientist for the communication of climate science. The prize highlights the importance of promoting scientific literacy, clarity of message, and efforts to foster respect and understanding of science-based values as they relate to the implications of climate change.
That is Schmidt to a tee.
Here’s more on him from the release:
Schmidt, an influential climate modeler who has authored more than 80 scientific papers, has also in recent years become a high-proifle figure in the often contentious public discussion of climate….
In 2009, Schmidt and photographer Joshua Wolfe created and coedited Climate Change: Picturing the Science. The book frames essays by Schmidt and others with climate-related photos from around the world taken by leading photographers for National Geographic, Smithsonian and other magazines. Popular Mechanics called it “the first book anyone seeking a layman’s understanding of the science of global warming should read.”
… The nomination, signed by scientists and journalists from 10 institutions and publications in the United States and Europe, said Schmidt “has proven an articulate, rigorous and resolute defender of research and the scientific method. …. providing a scientific context that is sometimes missing in the mainstream media.” Noting a stark disconnect between the growing scientific consensus that humans are influencing climate and declining U.S. public acceptance of the idea, the nominators said, “There has never been a more important time for truthful, dispassionate, factual and accessible communication. … There is no other scientist with the combination of intellect, agility and plain-speaking sensibility than Gavin Schmidt, who educates, not alienates, the public.”
In a 2009 interview, Schmidt told the website The Edge, “I don’t advocate for political solutions. If I do advocate for something … my advocacy is much more towards having more intelligent discussions.”
The award “will be presented with the prize at the union’s fall meeting in San Francisco, Dec. 5-9,” which I am currently planning to attend (since I’m scheduled to deliver a talk).
Once again, Kudos to Gavin for well-deserved recognition. Please add your comments below.
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I’ve learned an awful lot from Gavin Schmidt and his colleagues at RealClimate over the years. He deserves all the kudos he just received. Congratulations to Dr. Schmidt for a job well done.
Gavin via RealClimate is my go-to source whenever I need to learn more about climate modeling or climate change in general. I was wondering, would he be willing to do an IAMA on Reddit?
More proof that there are things Joe and I agree on. http://j.mp/gavinAGU
Well-deserved and certainly earned. Keep up the good work!
Congratulations Dr Schmidt! Thank you, and all your contributors at Real Climate, for all you do to explain the science. I have been a reader for years.
Excellent news! I cannot think of a more deserving awardee.
I had the pleasure of hearing Gavin speak just last week at the 19th Annual Keuhnast Lecture, at the University of Minnesota. “What Are Climate Models Good For? (And How Do We Know?)” was the topic, and it was very informative. He was kind enough to take questions from the audience for some time afterwards. I made a special trip to the city to attend, and I’m glad I did. He definitely earned the award.
Congrats to Dr. Schmidt, and thanks Joe for highlighting this!
I’d already recognized Schmidt’s talent for accurate climate science communication before climategate, but before the end of the whole climategate saga I felt a huge debt of gratitude as he placed quotes in their correct context whilst keeping his cool. I remember a sceptic describing his defence as a circling of the wagons and in his immitable style her responded with, it can’t be a circling of the wagons when there is only one wagon. A rare talent.
Kevin
Glad to see my personal estimation is matched by official, public recognition.
Congratulations to Gavin.
Congrats Dr. Schmidt. You and your collaborators at RC.org have one of the best science websites in the blogosphere. I hardly ever comment, but I do enjoy reading the postings.
Well deserved, Gavin. Everybody, read this piece about McIntyre:
http://www.realclimate.org/index.php/archives/2009/09/hey-ya-mal/
It’s not only good science, it’s a humor masterpiece, and one of the best things I’ve ever read on any subject.
We need a lot more Schmidts and Romms.
Great to see! And I came to the conclusion that Gavin is more timid and conservative than many a non-realist might want to believe – from his answer to an obvious question on SLR… Gavin, what’s your current guesstimate of SLR ca. 2100?
That was 3 yes ago and quite reasonable. RC has run Rahmstorf’s projections.
Gavin Schmidt’s RealClimate and Climate Progress are my favorite climate science resources.
Gavin Schmidt exemlifies all the positive attributes of science communications; amazingly good for a highly productive scientist. His accomplishments already stand close to those of Carl Sagan.
Kudos to Gavin, and well-deserved. A clear, patient and thoughtful communicator. RC was the first site I came across when getting to grips with climatology and it has never let me down.
Cheers – John
Gavin, more than once I been called out for a source for some seemingly-outrageous claim I’ve made on blog… When I reply that “the originator is Gavin Schmidt”, I usually get an “Oh… okay then. Right.”
Thanks for doing all you do! Well done. Many more years to you!
Kind regards,
Lodger
Well deserved. Dr. Schmidt is a genuine hero of modern science.
When I read a post on RealClimate by Gavin, I always have to read all of his responses to comments. That’s my favorite part. Your article mentions his “advocacy for intelligent discussions” which is also reflected in his comments. And they are fun to read. Like this one responding to a commenter who was linking to an article on errors in Inconvenient Truth:
Gavin: “The links you gave are standard contrarian tripe (no offense intended). Every single thread that comes along somewhere links to these and we are all supposed to take them seriously again, and again, and again. If you want to have a substantive discussion about issue X, then stick to issue X. Making lists about stupid things that have been said somewhere by someone and thinking that is an argument is just a waste of everyone’s time. I could do exactly the same for stupid statements made by Delingpole, Booker, Watts etc. Does that somehow trump any substantive discussion about issue X? No. So we have a choice, do we spend all the time pointing out that silly things have been said on every side of every issue under the sun? Or do we try and focus on specific issues that might actually be resolvable. Here, we are trying to focus. Please respect that.”
Tom
I use Real Climate as an example of exemplary science blogging in my science writing for undergrads course and several other courses in which students blog. Thanks Gavin for your example and helping me understand the complex science that explains climate change.
Hero.