​James Spann

 Credentials 

• AMS Certified, and Certified Broadcast Meteorologist. [1]

 Background

James Spann is a television meteorologist based in Birmingham, Alabama. He currently the chief meteorologist for ABC 33/40. [2]

Spann runs his own private consulting firm, The Weather Company, which provides weather programming to numerous radio stations.

He is also the chairman of Reality Radio, which once operated on Birmingham FM as WRRS-FM "Reality 101" and is now the parent of AllWorship.com.

Stance on Climate Change

"Earth's climate has changed since the day God put it here. We have had these cyclical changes, and I believe that most of this is purely natural." [3]

Key Quotes

"I do not know of a single TV meteorologist who buys into the man-made global warming hype. I know there must be a few out there, but I can’t find them."

"The climate of this planet has been changing since God put the planet here. It will always change, and the warming in the last 10 years is not much difference than the warming we saw in the 1930s and other decades. And, lets not forget we are at the end of the ice age in which ice covered most of North America and Northern Europe." [4]

Key Deeds

January, 2010

Spann is listed as a signatory to the Cornwall Alliance for the Stewardship of Creation's "An Evangelical Declaration on Global Warming."

He is listed as one of a group of "scientists and medical doctors" we are signatories. [5]

Those who sign the declaration must agree with the statement "We deny that carbon dioxide—essential to all plant growth—is a pollutant. Reducing greenhouse gases cannot achieve significant reductions in future global temperatures, and the costs of the policies would far exceed the benefits."

January 18, 2007

Spann wrote an opinion piece on his weather blog, titled '"The Weather Channel' Mess" where he responded to comments made by Dr Heidi Cullen on The Weather Channel's website. [6]

Cullen had written that "If a meteorologist can’t speak to the fundamental science of climate change, then maybe the AMS shouldn’t give them a Seal of Approval."

Responding to Cullen, Spann said "II know dozens and dozens of broadcast meteorologists all over the country. […]. I do not know of a single TV meteorologist who buys into the man-made global warming hype" (.doc). [7] 

His blog post was picked up and spread by The Drudge Report, and further promoted by Marc Morano at the U.S. Senate Committee on Environment & Public Works. [8]

Spann appeared on FOX News's Hannity & Colmes program, and on CNN's Glenn Beck program to explain his position. Senator James Inhofe also spoke in defence of Spann's position. [9], [3], [10]

 Affiliations 

• ABC 33/40 — Chief Meteorologist.

• Cornwall Alliance — Signatory to "An Evangelical Declaration on Global Warming."

 Publications

According to a search of Google Scholar, James Spann has not published any articles in peer reviewed journals.

Sample Publications

• "The Weather Channel Mess," ABC 33/40 Weather Blog, January 18, 2007.

 Resources

1. "James Spann Bio," JamesSpann.com, July 7, 2008.

2. "James Spann," Abc3340. Accessed February 17, 2012.

3. "James Spann on Glenn Beck," YouTube Video. Uploaded by IntronFilm, January 22, 2007.

4. "Ams Certified Weatherman Strikes Back at Weather Channel Call for Decertification," U.S. Senate Committee on Environment & Public Works, January 19, 2007.

5. "Prominent Signers of An Evangelical Declaration on Global Warming," Cornwall Alliance For the Stewardship of Creation, January 14, 2010.

6. James Spann. "'The Weather Channel' Mess," JamesSpann.com, January 18, 2007. Archived with WebCite February 17, 2012.

7. "Spann spawns cyber storm Birmingham News 1-20-07," Retrieved February, 2012, from DrUnfried.wikispaces.com.

8. Marc Morano. "AMS CERTIFIED WEATHERMAN STRIKES BACK AT WEATHER CHANNEL CALL FOR DECERTIFICATION," U.S. Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works (Blogs), January 19, 2007.

9. James Spann. "An Interesting Day In The Office," Alabamawx.com, January 19, 2007.

10. "James Spann vs. Hedi Cullem & Global Warming," YouTube Video. Uploaded by user t3chmn, January 23, 2007.

11. "James Spann," Wikipedia Entry.