Timothy F. Ball (Tim Ball)

 Credentials

• Ph.D. (Doctor of Science), University of London, England.
• M.A., University of  Manitoba.
• B.A., University of Winnipeg. [1]

 Background

Tin Ball was a professor of geography at the University of Winnipeg from 1988 to 1996. He is a prolific speaker and writer in the skeptical science community.

He has been Chairman of the Scientific Advisory Committee to the now-defunct Natural Resources Stewardship Project (NRSP), "scientific advisor" to the Exxon-funded Friends of Science (FoS), and is also associated with the Frontier Centre for Public Policy and numerous other think tanks and right-wing organizations.

The NRSP's list of "scientific advisors" includes Tim Patterson, Tad Murty and Sallie Baliunas, all of which are also listed as advisors to the FOS. 

DeSmog also uncovered that two of the three directors on the board of the Natural Resources Stewardship Project were all at one time senior executives of the High Park Advocacy Group, a Toronto-based lobby firm that specializes in "energy, environment and ethics."

Stance on Climate Change

• "What's wrong with global warming? There are lots of positive benefits to global warming." [3]

Key Quotes

"CFC's were never a problem…. it's only because the sun is changing." [3]

Key Deeds

Ongoing

Ball and the organizations he is affiliated with have repeatedly made the claim that he is the "first Canadian PhD in climatology." Ball once claimed he was "one of the first climatology PhD's in the world." Many have pointed out that there have been numerous PhD's in the field prior to Ball.

Ball was a former professor of geography at the University of Winnipeg from 1988 to 1996. The University of Winnipeg never had an office of Climatology. His degree was in historical geography and not climatology.

June 30 - July 1, 2011

Ball was a speaker at the Heartland Institute's 6th International Conference on Climate Change. [11]

March 25, 2011

Dr. Michael Mann sued Tim Ball and the Frontier Center For Public Policy for libel. The lawsuit arose from an interview with Ball that was posted on the Frontier Center website.

In the interview, Ball responds to an anonymous questioner regarding the "Climategate" scandal by saying "Michael Mann at Penn State should be in the State Pen, not Penn State."

Feb 2, 2011

Andrew Weaver, a University of Victoria Professor and Canada Research Chair in Climate Modelling and Analysis, filed suit for libel against Tim Ball.

The suit arose from an article Ball wrote for Canada Free Press which accused Weaver of being uninformed about climate and unqualified to teach.

March, 2008

Ball was a speaker at the Heartland Institute's First International Conference on Climate Change (ICCC1). [11]

March 8, 2007

Tim Ball made a prominent appearance on the Great Global Warming Swindle, appearing as an "eminent scientist."  Another movie where Ball makes an appearance, described as a climatologist, is in The Fall of the Republic: The Presidency of Barack H. Obama.

Nov 10, 2007

In a 2007 FCPP special report, Tim Ball and Tom Harris criticized The Fifth Estate's broadcast of The Denial Machine, describing it as "docu-ganda."  Ball claimed that he was filmed without his consent. Ball also asserted that The Denial Machine violated CBC's "Journalistic Standards and Practices." He further accused the CBC of misrepresenting the credentials of skeptical scientists. [4]

He goes on to criticize James Hoggan, and more specifically CBC, for not disclosing Hoggan's connection to the David Suzuki Foundation (something Mr. Hoggan has made no attempt to hide).  Ball further criticizes DeSmogBlog itself.

Sept 1, 2006

On September 1st, Ball launched a libel suit against Dr. Dan Johnson and the Calgary Herald over a letter the paper ran on April 23, 2006. Johnson is a Professor of Environmental Science at the University of Lethbridge

Ball had written an article that attacked the qualifications of renowned climate change author Tim Flannery, in which the Herald described Ball as “the first climatology PhD in Canada and … a professor of climatology at the University of Winnipeg for 28 years.”

Johnson's letter to the editor challenged those details, noting that when Ball received his PhD (in Geography) in 1983, “Canada already had PhDs in climatology and it is important to recognize them and their research.” Johnson also pointed out that Ball had been a professor for a much shorter time (Ball later admitted eight years), during which Ball did “not show any evidence of research regarding climate and atmosphere.”

The Calgary Herald's Statement of Defence, filed with the Alberta Court of Queen’s Bench, dismissed Ball’s credibility saying that “The Plantiff (Dr. Ball) is viewed as a paid promoter of the agenda of the oil and gas industry rather than as a practicing scientist.”

Ball subsequently dropped his lawsuit.

 Affiliations

• Friends of Science (FoS) — Past "Consultant," member of "Scientific Advisory Board." [5]

• Natural Resources Stewardship Project (NRSP) — Chairman. [7], [8]

• Frontier Center for Public Policy (FCPP) — "Senior Fellow," Past Member, Board of Advisors. [1], [2]

• The Heartland Institute — "Heartland Expert." [9]

• The International Climate Science Coalition (ICSC) — Member, "Scientific Advisory Board." [10]

• Tech Central Station (TCS) — Contributor.

 Publications

A search of 22,000 academic journals shows that over the course of his career Ball published four pieces of original research in peer-reviewed journals on the subject of climate change. Ball has not published any new research in the last 11 years.

Sample Publications:

• "Climate Change: Dangers of a Singular Approach and Consideration of a Sensible Strategy" (2009).

Journal Background: In a 1995 article written by Paul Thacker, Energy and Environment was described as being a journal skeptics can go to when they are rejected by the mainstream peer-reviewed science publications.

• "Climate and History: A Connection That Cannot Be Ignored" (1984).

Tim Ball has been a prolific writer of newspaper articles, opinion pieces, and letters to the editor questioning the existence of climate change. 

Ball is also the lead author of Slaying the Sky Dragon: Death of the Greenhouse Gas Theory, a book slated for publication in 2011. Slaying the Sky Dragon is described as a "comprehensive refutation of the greenhouse gas theory (GHG)."

 Resources

1. "Frontier Research Fellows," Frontier Center for Public Policy. Accessed November 20, 2011.

2. "Tim Ball" SourceWatch profile.

3. "Dr. Tim Ball On CFC's and the Sponsorship Scandal," DeSmogBlog, June 7, 2006.

4. Tim Ball and Tom Harris. "CBC’s continuing denial of the climate science debate" (PDF), Frontier Center for Public Policy, November 10, 2007. 

5. "About Us: Scientific Advisory Board," Friends of Science. Archived July 7, 2008.

6. "NRSP: Not Really Science People," DeSmogBlog, October 17, 2006.

7. "Natural Resources Stewardship Project," SourceWatch.

8. "New Canadian Astroturf Group," Deltoid, October 13, 2006.

9. "Heartland Experts: Timothy Ball," The Heartland Institute.

10. "Who We Are," International Climate Science Coalition. Accessed November 20, 2011.

11. "Timothy Ball: 6th International Conference on Climate Change," the Heartland Institute.

12. ExxonSecrets Factsheet: Tim Ball, PhD.