Joel M. Schwartz

 Credentials

• MS, Planetary Science, California Institute of Technology.
• BS, Chemistry, Cornell University.

Source: [1]

 Background

Joel Schwartz is an environmental consultant and "Senior Consultant" to the Blue Sky Consulting Group based in California. [1]

Schwartz has done work with the RAND Corporation, the American Enterprise Institute (AEI), and is associated with numerous groups that have a history of questioning the science behind man-made climate change. [2]

Stance on Climate Change

"Climate change is not a crisis. The thing we should be most afraid of is rushing to foolish policy." [3]

Key Quotes

"…the greatest threat we face from climate change is the danger of rushing into foolish and costly policies driven by ill-founded climate change hysteria." [4]

Key Deeds

March, 2009

Schwartz was a speaker at the Heartland Institute's 2009 International Conference on Climate change where he presented on the topic of "Climate Chnage[sic] and Human Health: A California Perspective." [5]

When DeSmogBlog investigated the sponsors for the 2009 conference, we found that they had collectively received over $47 million in support from oil companies and right-wing foundations.

July, 2007

Schwartz is the author of a John Locke Foundation (JLF) policy report titled "A North Carolina Citizen's Guide to Global Warming" (PDF) that attempts to cast doubt on the existence of man-made climate change.

The report begins, stating that "Whatever the risks of future climate change, they pale in comparison to the risks of the 'wrenching transformation' sought by [Al] Gore and
his environmentalist allies."

The report suggests that "other factors may be significant contributors, including: human activities other than greenhouse gas emissions; changes in the sun’s brightness over time that are not adequately accounted for in climate models; and changes in the number of cosmic rays hitting the Earth, which affects cloudiness."

Common skeptic arguments presented in the report include that sea levels are not rising, that severe weather activity has no connection to climate change, that the sun is driving climate, that the climate has changed in the past, and that sea ice isn't actually melting.

March 21, 2002

Schwartz is the author of a study for the NCPA titled "Breathe Easier on Asthma-Air Pollution Link." At the time he was the director of the NCPA's "Air Quality Project." [6]

His article is highly critical of a scientific study published in The Lancet, which had concluded, with regards to reducing the incidence of asthma in children, that "additional air pollution regulations are necessary to protect children's health." 

Schwartz, however, accuses the study of "misleading the public" and "divert[ing] attention and resources from real threats to people's lives and welfare."  Schwartz further concludes that "children exposed to current levels of air pollution are at virtually no additional risk of developing asthma." 

This is not the first time Schwartz has fought against emissions control measures.  In an article for the Heartland Institute's Environment & Climate News, titled "The American Lung Association's Fear Campaign," Schwartz contends that the American Lung Association (ALA) "misleads Americans about air pollution levels" and that "air pollution levels far higher than any we experience in the United States are perfectly safe, and that the nation's air does not cause adverse health effects." [7]

Schwartz concludes, based on a 2004 research study, that "higher levels of air pollution were associated with a lower risk of developing asthma." So, in the words of Joel Schwartz, air pollution is good for us.

 Affiliations

• American Enterprise Institute (AEI) — Former "Visiting Fellow." [8], [9]

• Blue Sky Consulting Group — "Senior Consultant." [10]

• Reason Public Policy Institute (RPPI) — "Senior Fellow" and past director, "Air Quality Project."  [11], [12]

• Competitive Enterprise Institute (CEI) — "Adjunct Analyst." [13]

• National Center for Policy Analysis (NCPA) — "Independent Scholar." [14] 

• American Council on Science and Health (ACSH) — "Scientific Advisor." [15]

• Tech Central Station (TCS) — Author. [16]

• The Heartland Institute — "Expert." [12]

 Publications

According to his resume and a search of Google Scholar, Joel M. Schwartz has not published any articles in peer-reviewed journals on the subject of climate change. Another Joel Schwartz, this a Harvard professor and epidemiologist, has published articles connecting climate change and heat-related deaths. These two should not be confused.

 Resources

1. "Joel Schwartz," Blue Sky Consulting Group. Accessed February, 2012. Archived with WebCite, February 13, 2012.

2. "Resume: Joel Schwartz," Joelschwartz.com. Accessed February 13, 2012.

3. "Bush, Schwarzenegger differ on global-warming approach," Copley News Service. Republished by Consumer Watchdog, September 20, 2007. Archived with WebCite, February 13, 2012.

4. Joel Schwartz. "A North Carolina Citizen’s Guide to Global Warming" (PDF), John Locke Foundation Policy Report, July 2007.

5. "2009 International Conference on Climate Change," The Heartland Institute, February 1, 2009. Republished by Instituto Liberdade.

6. Joel Schwartz. "Breathe Easier on Asthma-Air Pollution Link," National Center for Policy Analysis Brief Analyses No. 390 (March 21, 2002).

7. Joel Schwartz. "The American Lung Association's Fear Campaign," The Heartlander, October 1, 2007.

8. "Scholars & Fellows: Joel M. Schwartz," American Enterprise Institute. Archived March 9, 2009.

9. "AEI Scholar Joel Schwartz Releases Study in Response to Union of Concerned Scientists' Report on California Air Pollution," American Enterprise Institute, January 22, 2007.

10. "Joel Schwartz," Blue Sky Consulting Group. Accessed February, 2012. Archived with WebCite, February 13, 2012.

11. Joel Schwartz and Lynne Kiesling. "Reason Public Policy Institute’s Comments on 'Reducing California’s Petroleum Dependence' A Draft Report by the Staffs of the California Energy Commission and the California Air Resources Board, Produced Pursuant to AB 2076" (PDF), Submitted to the California Energy Commission and the California Air Resources Board, June 6, 2003. Retrieved from Joelschwartz.com.

12. "Heartland Experts: Joel Schwartz," The Heartland Institute. Accessed February 13, 2012.

13. "Joel Schwartz: Adjunct Analyst," Competitive Enterprise Institute. Accessed February 13, 2012.

14. "Joel Schwartz," National Center for Policy Analysis.  Accessed February, 2012. Archived with WebCite February 13, 2012.

15. "Scientific Advisors," American Council on Science and Health.  Accessed February, 2012. Archived with WebCite February 13, 2012.

16. "Joel M. Schwartz" (PDF), Resume at Joelschwatz.com.

17. "Joel M. Schwartz," SourceWatch Profile.

18. ExxonSecrets Factsheet: Joel Schwartz.