Larry Bell

Larry Bell

Credentials

Background

Larry Bell is a professor of architecture and space architecture at the University of Houston. He is the founding director of the Sasakawa International Center for Space Architecture (SICSA).5Contact Us,” Sasakawa International Center for Space Architecture. Archived September 26, 2016. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/KEnZY

According to his profile at Climateofcorruption.com, Bell also co-founded several high-tech companies including Bell and Trotti, Inc.6About the Author,” Climateofcorruption.com. Archived September 26, 2016. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/EG80a 7Elena Watts. “Aerospace Engineering Curriculum Launches To New Heights,” University of Houston: Cullen College of Engineering, May 1, 2015. Archived September 26, 2016. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/7NFOA

While Larry Bell authors articles in the media denying man-made climate change, he has not published any articles in peer-reviewed journals on the subject of climate.8Google Scholar search for articles containing ‘Climate’, ‘climate change’, or ‘global warming’ authored by Larry Bell. Last performed September 26, 2016.

Bell is the author of Climate of Corruption: Politics and Power Behind the Global Warming Hoax. In an Accuracy in Media interview, Bell described how he started on his book shortly after meeting Fred Singer. His book talks about how “politics is responsible for the global warming hoax.”9Take AIM: Larry Bell,” Accuracy in Media, May 6, 2011. Archived September 26, 2016. Audio archived at Desmog. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/H0rGm

Stance on Climate Change

August 2016

Larry Bell recounts a discussion he had with a woman on a flight from Houston:

“Satellite temperature records which have been available only since 1979 show that other than naturally-occurring 1998 and 2015 El Nino temperature spikes, no statistically significant global warming has occurred for nearly two decades. On the other hand, satellite imagery shows that the plant-fertilizing CO2 ‘pollution’ you referred to has increased global greening by 25 to 50 percent since then … lots more veggies for all God’s creatures.”10Larry Bell. “A Short Politically Incorrect Climate Conversation,” Newsmax, August 8, 2016. Archived September 26, 2016. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/Vb5I7

January 2011

“Regarding climate science there is at least one certainty: There is absolutely no reason to believe that Earth is any warmer now than it was during past periods when life flourished—times when agriculture was abundant, pyramids and cities were built, and world citizens became connected in trade and culture.”11Climate of Corruption: Politics and Power Behind the Global Warming Hoax. Greenleaf Book Group Press, January 2011.

Key Quotes

September 2016

Quoting records from U.S. surface temperature records “not corrupted by local ‘heat island’ influences” (presumably referring to data from Anthony Watts’s Heartland-Institute-funded Surface Stations Project):12Climate Alarmism Is Not ‘Sexy’,” Newsmax, September 12, 2016. Archived September 26, 2016. Arhive.is URL: https://archive.is/pNw3M 13Brad Johnson. “CONFIRMED: Anti-Science Blogger Admits Heartland Institute’s ‘Special Project’ To Distort Temperature Data,” ThinkProgress, February 15, 2012. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/uQAQw

“U.S. surface records […] show no significant warming over the past 80 years. There have been more all-time U.S. cold records than heat records since the 1940s.”14Climate Alarmism Is Not ‘Sexy’,” Newsmax, September 12, 2016. Archived September 26, 2016. Arhive.is URL: https://archive.is/pNw3M

June 2016

“Yet while fully crediting Schneiderman, fellow attorneys general, the Rockefellers and other climate crusaders for saving the planet from fossil-fired Armageddon, perhaps we might also cut ExxonMobil some slack for not giving the matter full attention.”15Ben Jervey. “State Investigations Into What Exxon Knew Double, and Exxon Gets Defensive,” DeSmog, April 1, 2016.

February 2014

“Facts, as they say, are facts. On the other hand, untrue representations presented as facts are either uninformed, intentionally disingenuous, or a combination of the two. Secretary of State Kerry’s statements attacking those who challenge the existence of a human-caused climate crisis likely fall into the third category.”16Larry Bell. “Let’s Be Very Clear Mr. Kerry: No Scientific Evidence Of ‘Dangerous’ Human Climate Influence Exists,” Forbes, February 24, 2014.

May 2011

“I never really call myself a ‘scientist.’ I’m certainly a researcher, and I certainly write a lot of technical stuff, but, as I make very clear in the preface of my book, I’m not a climate scientist, and I never played one in the movies… . .there’s probably some effect of human impact on everything in our environment. That doesn’t necessarily make it dangerous—and doesn’t even, necessarily, make it bad.”17Take AIM: Larry Bell,” Accuracy in Media. May 6, 2011.

“And while global warming has been trumpeted as an epic climate change crisis with human-produced CO2, a trace atmospheric ‘greenhouse gas’ branded as a primary culprit and endangering ‘pollutant’, don’t be too sure about the veracity of those pitches. Throughout earlier periods of Earth’s history those levels have been many times higher than today, with temperature changes preceding — not following — atmospheric CO2 changes. It doesn’t require a degree in a climate science, or rocket science either for that matter, to understand these basic facts.”18Breaking News: The Climate Actually Changes!Forbes. May 3, 2011.

March 2011

In response to concerns about nuclear power in the aftermath of the earthquake in Japan:

”[…] Nor should its advancement be held captive any longer by unfounded alarmism, special interest politics, and ideologically driven regulatory interference that have paralyzed U.S. development over the past three decades. It’s time to move on, and let proven natural selection processes inherent in free enterprise energize America’s future.”19Aftershocks: Nuclear Energy Fallout From Japan.” Reposted by Texas Tea Party Patriots PAC, March 22, 2011. Archived May 15, 2011.

January 2011

“The central lie is that we are experiencing a known human-caused climate crisis, a claim based on speculative theories, contrived data and totally unproven modeling predictions. And the evidence? Much is revealed by politically corrupted processes and agenda-driven report conclusions rendered by the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), which are trumpeted in the media as authoritative gospel.”20The Climate Crisis Hoax,” Forbes.com. Jan 5, 2011.

Key Deeds

June 5, 2017

Following President Donald Trump’s official announcement that the U.S. would exit from the Paris Climate Accord, Larry Bell wrote an article congratulating Trump on the decision, while criticizing Fox News Channel anchor Chris Wallace for being of an “ ideologically alarmist mind-set.”21Larry Bell. “Fox News Takes Misguided Left Turn at Paris Climate Exit,” NewsMax, June 5, 2017. Archived June 19, 2017. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/DtUTM

“Sadly, I had hoped that Chris Wallace might at least finally give the president some credit for standing firm for economic and environmental sanity,” Bell wrote.
We should be grateful that Trump refused to be trampled by stampeding Paris lemmings.”22Larry Bell. “Fox News Takes Misguided Left Turn at Paris Climate Exit,” NewsMax, June 5, 2017. Archived June 19, 2017. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/DtUTM

February 23, 2017

Larry Bell was a signatory of a petition (PDF) organized by Richard Lindzen of the Cato Institute urging President Donald Trump to pull the United States out of the United Nations international convention on climate change (UNFCCC).23“PETITION” (PDF), February 23, 2017. Richard Lindzen. PDF Archived at DeSmog.

“In just a few weeks, more than 300 eminent scientists and other qualified individuals from around the world have signed the petition below,” Lindzen wrote in the letter.24“PETITION” (PDF), February 23, 2017. Richard Lindzen. PDF Archived at DeSmog.

DeSmog investigated the list, and found that only a small handful of the signatories could be considered “even remotely ‘qualified’ or ‘eminent’ — but not in the field of climate science.” The list included individuals “interested in climate,” and one signatory who only identified as an “emailer who wished to sign the petition” while some signers provided no affiliation or address whatsoever.25Graham Readfearn. “Climate Science Denier Richard Lindzen’s List of 300 “Scientists” Sent to Trump Is the Usual Parade of Non-Experts,” DeSmog, February 27, 2017.

June 20, 2016

Larry Bell writesin Newsmax that we should “cut ExxonMobil some slack for not giving the matter [of climate change] full attention.” Bell is writing with reference to the recent investigations by state attorneys general into how much ExxonMobil knew about climate change while it was denying it existence publicly and to shareholders.26Ben Jervey. “State Investigations Into What Exxon Knew Double, and Exxon Gets Defensive,” DeSmog, April 1, 2016.

Bell’s piece, titled “Hype and hypocrisy of climate attacks on Exxon,” is full of heavily sarcastic statements like the following:27Larry Bell. “Let’s Be Very Clear Mr. Kerry: No Scientific Evidence Of ‘Dangerous’ Human Climate Influence Exists,” Forbes, February 24, 2014.

“Sure, they’ll probably try to confuse us with trick questions: Like why, apart from natural 1998 and 2015 El Nino spikes, satellites haven’t recorded any statistically significant global warming for nearly two decades; why sea levels have been rising at a constant rate of 7 inches per century without acceleration; and why no category 3-5 hurricanes have struck the U.S. coast since October 2005 — a record lull since 1900.

“But don’t trust your lyin’ eyes; continue to be assured that the science is settled. Global warming is an imminent threat, we’re causing it, and ExxonMobil, the evil profiteering culprit, should have told us.

Instead, they callously continued to produce oil and gas without informing investors and the public of dire climate change consequences.”

July 7–9, 2014

Larry Bell was a speaker at the Heartland Institute’s Ninth International Conference on Climate Change (ICCC9) in Las Vegas, Nevada. View his presentations below:28Return of Climate Denial-a-Palooza: Heartland Institute Hitches Anti-Science Wagon to Vegas FreedomFest,” Desmog, July 7, 2014. Archived July 14, 2014.

Larry Bell, ICCC9 (Panel 5): The One-Size Mythology that Fits Multiple Agendas

Panel 5 Q&A : Ron Arnold, Dr. Sonja Boehmer, and Larry Bell, ICCC9

DeSmog has done in-depth research on the other speakers and sponsors from Heartland’s ICCC9, which can be found here.29Brendan DeMelle. “Return of Climate Denial-a-Palooza: Heartland Institute Hitches Anti-Science Wagon to Vegas FreedomFest,” Desmog, July 7, 2014.

May 21–23, 2012

Larry Bell was a speaker at the Heartland Institute‘s 7th International Conference on Climate Change (ICCC7).30Larry Bell, ICCC7,” International Conferences on Climate Change. Archived .mp4 on file at Desmog.

DeSmog researched the co-sponsors behind Heartland’s ICCC7 and found that they had collectively received over $67 million from ExxonMobil, the Koch Brothers and the conservative Scaife family foundations.31Brendan DeMelle. “Heartland Denial-a-Palooza Sponsors Have Received Million From ExxonMobil, Koch and Scaife Foundations,” Desmog, May 22, 2012.

Heartland’s president Joe Bast revealed at the end of the conference that the Institute has no plans for future ICCCs. This could be in part due to the defections of corporate sponsors following Heartland’s unsuccessful Unabomber billboard campaign and the unintended release of their confidential documents.32Brendan DeMelle. “Will Heartland Institute’s Corporate Funders Tacitly Endorse Comparing Climate Realists to bin Laden and the Unabomber?Desmog, May 4, 2012. 33Brendan DeMelle. “Heartland Institute Exposed: Internal Documents Unmask Heart of Climate Denial Machine,” Desmog, February 14, 2012.

June 30–July 1, 2011

Bell was a speaker at the Heartland Institute’s Sixth International Conference on Climate Change.34Larry Bell,” International Conferences on Climate Change. Archived .mp4 on file at Desmog.

January 2011

Larry Bell published Climate of Corruption: Politics and Power Behind the Global Warming Hoax. In an interview with Accuracy in Media (AIM) — see audio below — Bell noted that prominent climate change denier Fred Singer had been influential in his writing the book.35Take AIM: Larry Bell,” Accuracy in Media. May 6, 2011.

Affiliations

Other Affiliations

SICSA describes its central mission as being “to plan and implement programs that will advance peaceful and beneficial uses of space and space technology on Earth and beyond.” SISCA is funded by the Sasakawa Foundation which was founded by Ryoichi Sasakawa, “rightist and gambling figure” who was “the last living member of a group accused after World War II of the most serious war crimes.” The foundation is chaired by Sasakawa’s son.40Ryoichi Sasakawa, 96, Rightist And Gambling Figure in Japan,” The New York Times, July 20, 1995. Archived September 26, 2016. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/OXvQn 41Jade Lindgaard. “When the past came back to haunt the Sasakawa Foundation,” Mediapart, November 11, 2010. Archived September 26, 2016. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/1aIUl

Publications

According to a search of Google Scholar, Larry Bell has never published an article in a peer-reviewed journal on the subject of climate.42Google Scholar search for articles containing ‘Climate’, ‘climate change’, or ‘global warming’ authored by Larry Bell. Last performed September 26, 2016.

Bell has been a long-term contributor to Forbes magazine.43Contributor: Larry Bell,” Forbes. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/4jMjO

Larry Bell is a prolific blogger at Newsmax, where he publishes regular articles on global warming skepticism. Below are some recent examples:

Books

The Climate of Corruption website offers this introduction: “Melting glaciers, suffering polar bears, rising oceans- these are just a few of the climate change crisis myths debunked by noted aerospace expert Larry Bell in this explosive new book. With meticulous research, Bell deflates these and other climate misconceptions with perceptive analysis, humor, and the most recent scientific data.”

Notable Publications

In this article Bell quotes Christopher Landsea in an attempt to prove that there is no connection between extreme weather and global warming.

Bell’s article was debunked by scientists at RealClimate.org, and critiqued by Think Progress.44Forbes’ rich list of nonsense,” RealClimate, January 6, 2011. 45Forbes, Larry Bell, and the Climate of Corruption,” ThinkProgress, January 7, 2011. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/yoInc

In a response to the debunking, Bell quoted Nir Shaviv, another climate change skeptic. Shaviv claims that “The aim of RealClimate.org is not to engage in sincere scientific debate. Bell responded to RealClimate by posting an open letter on the Climate Depot website in which he contends that he has “provided an extensive and highly nuanced accounting of facts supporting that article and broader perspectives on the matter.”46Marc Morano. “Prof. Larry Bell of Forbes, fires back at RealClimate.org for their ‘desperate hit and run tactics’ against skeptics,” Climate Depot, February 3, 2011. Archived September 26, 2016. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/BXUhg

Other Resources

Resources

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