John Coleman

 Credentials

"Coleman had spent half a century in the trenches of TV weathercasting; he had once been an accredited meteorologist, and remained a virtuoso forecaster. But his work was more a highly technical art than a science. His degree, received fifty years earlier at the University of Illinois, was in journalism." [6]

 Background

Coleman is currently employed as the television weatherman for station KUSI in San Diego. Coleman has "been a TV weatherman since he was a freshman in college in 1953."

According to his bio, Coleman was the founder of the Weather Channel, until he was "forced out" a year after the Weather Channel went to air.

A July 2002 article claims that "the relationship between Coleman and Landmark [Coleman's business partner] soured quickly in the face of larger-than-projected losses and, in Batten's view, declining staff morale. The two parted ways just over a year later, but not before airing their dirty laundry in court, Coleman departing the venture entirely."

Coleman constructed a special report titled Global Warming: the Other Side. The segment describes Climategate as a "major climate scandal." Reports have since exonerated the scientists of the Climate Research Unit at the University of East Anglia, finding "no evidence of any deliberate scientific malpractice."

The Other Side was supported by the Science and Public Policy Institute (SPPI). The SPPI is a global warming skeptics group founded by climate-change skeptic Robert Ferguson. SPPI's staff includes prominent climate change deniers like Christopher Monckton, listed as SPPI's "Chief Policy Advisor," and Willie Soon who is listed as their "Chief Science Advisor. The SPPI chooses not to disclose its funding sources.

Coleman has also aired his global warming views on CNN, Fox News Channel, Showtime and Pen & Teller: B.S.  In an interview on Fox News' "Red Eye," he describes Fox as the "only cable network that will put us on the air."

Stance on Climate Change

• "However, Global Warming, i.e. Climate Change, is not about environmentalism or politics. It is not a religion. It is not something you "believe in." It is science; the science of meteorology. This is my field of life-long expertise. And I am telling you Global Warming are a nonevent, a  manufactured crisis and a total scam. I say this knowing you probably won't believe me, a mere TV weatherman, challenging a Nobel Prize, Academy Award and Emmy Award winning former Vice President of United States. So be it." [1]

• "There is no run away climate change. The impact of humans on climate is not catastrophic. Our planet is not in peril."

Key Quotes

"Some misguided scientists with environmental and political motives manipulated long-term scientific data back in the late 1990's to create an illusion of rapid global warming. Other scientists of the same environmental-extremism type jumped into the circle to support and broaden the 'research' to further enhance the totally slanted, bogus global warming claims." [1]

"Now the really good news: The increase in our atmospheric carbon dioxide during the 20th and early 21st  centuries has produced no deleterious effects upon Earth’s weather and climate. There is absolutely no correlation between the increase in CO2 and average worldwide or US temperatures. And, predictions of harmful climatic effects due to future increases in hydrocarbon use and resulting increases in minor greenhouse gases such as CO2 do not conform to current experimental knowledge or have any scientific basis. On the other hand, increased carbon dioxide has markedly increased plant growth. Forest growth and farm crop output per acre have grown proportionally with increased atmospheric CO2 that is a key to photosynthesis in plants." [1]

"Environmental extremist, notable politicians among them then teamed up with movie, media and other liberal, environmentalist journalists to create this wild 'scientific' scenario of the civilization threatening environmental consequences from Global Warming unless we adhere to their radical agenda." [1]

"Many people don't accept my position that there is no significant man-made global warming because I am simply a Television Meteorologist without a Ph.D.  I understand that…" [8]

Key Deeds

January, 2010

Coleman produced a special report for KUSI-TV, entitled Global Warming: The Other Side. The program suggests that Global Warming as a scam and presents what Colement contends is evidence of a deliberate manipulation of world temperature data by NASA and other groups. [2]

March 8 - 10, 2009

Coleman was a speaker at the Heartland Institute's 2009 International Conference on Climate Change. [7]

November 13, 2008

Coleman gave a presentation to the AWPA San Diego/Imperial Chapter titled "The Global Warming Scam is Wrecking America." 

Following is a description of the event:

"In the fall of 2007, Mr. Coleman described the current concern over global warming 'a fictional, manufactured crisis, and a total scam.'  In 2008, Mr. Coleman gave a speech of the same tone before the San Diego Chamber of Commerce, blaming the 'global warming scam' and environmentalist lobby for raising gas and food prices.  He also declared the scam 'a threat to our economy and our civilization.'  His posting assessing the science behind global warming can be read at www.kusi.com."

March 2008

Coleman's spoke at the Heartland Institute's 2008 International Conference on Climate change, where he accused Al Gore of "financial fraud" and of obfuscating "legitimate debate."

The Conference describes itself as being created to "generate international media attention." The Heartland Institute, organizer and funder of the conference, has received over $600,000 from ExxonMobil and over $240,000 from the tobacco industry.

March, 2008

Coleman appeared on the Fox News "Red Eye" where he vowed to sue Al Gore for fraud. Coleman starts by announcing he has found 30,000 "scientists" in doubt of the consensus on global warming. [4]

Coleman's list appears to have originated from the Oregon Petition which was debunked by numerous groups including The Skeptics Society. No lawsuit has yet emerged since Coleman's threat.

2008

Coleman gave a speech before the San Diego Chamber of Commerce, blaming the "global warming scam" and environmentalist lobby, for rising gas and food prices.

He also declared the the supposed scam as "a threat to our economy and our civilization." [3]

 Affiliations

• KUSI News — 6, 10 and 11 PM weathercaster. [9]

• The Weather Channel  — CEO and President during the start-up and its first year of operation. No longer affiliated.

 Publications

Coleman has written numerous articles skeptical of gobal warming including "Global Warming is a Scam," which he wrote around November 5, 2007, and published on Coleman's Corner.

 Resources

1. "Global Warming Comments by John Coleman" (PDF), KUSI.

2. "Global Warming: The Other Side - Segment 4," San Diego, CA: KUSI - News, Weather and Sports. Archived March 24, 2010.

3. "Global Warming and the Price of a Gallon of Gas," ColeMan's Corner. Archived April 5, 2010.

4. "Weather Channel Founder: Sue Al Gore for Fraud," Fox News, March 14, 2008. 

5. "Weather Channel boss calls global warming 'the greatest scam in history'," The Telegraph, December 3, 2011.

6. "Hot Air: Why don't TV weathermen believe in climate change?" Columbia Journalism Review, January/February 2010.

7. "Heartland Institute/International Conference on Climate Change (2009)," SourceWatch.

8. "The Truth About Greenhouse Gasses," Kusi News, May 23, 2011.

9. "John Coleman," Profile at Kusi News. Accessed December 2, 2011.

10. "John Coleman," Wikipedia.