William JR Alexander

William JR Alexander

Credentials

Background

Alexander is a retired professor of Civil and Biosystems Engineering from the University of Pretoria in South Africa.

He spent the later years of his career helping develop water resource and flood analysis methods, in addition to “disaster mitigation and climate change studies.”2 “Linkages between solar activity, climate predictability and water resource development” (PDF), Presentation at Lavoisier Group’s 2007 Workshop ‘Rehabilitating Carbon Dioxide’ June 29-30, 2007. Republished by Solarchords.com.

Stance on Climate Change

According to JR Alexander, global warming will not:3 “An assessment of the likely consequences of global warming on the climate of South Africa” (PDF), University of Pretoria, Department of Civil Engineering – Water Resource and Flood Studies. Archived January 29, 2011.

  • Pose a threat to water supplies
  • Adversely affect agricultural production
  • Increase the risk of floods and droughts
  • Increase the spread of malaria
  • Increase the eutrophication of water in dams
  • Increase soil erosion
  • Result in the loss of natural plant and animal species
  • Or result in desertification.

Key Quotes

There is “no scientifically believable evidence to support the alarmist claims” regarding the existence of climate change.4 “Climate Change in the Western Cape. Fact or Fiction?” (PDF), University of Pretoria, Department of Civil Engineering – Water Resource and Flood Studies, June 2010. Republished by Climate Realists.

Key Deeds

July 14, 2008

William JR Alexander was signatory to an open letter to United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon calling for the UN to “lead the UN into abandoning the CO2-based theory of global warming and nullifying its former recommendations.”5 “The UN Climate Change Panel must be called to account and cease its deceptive practices- Policies based on false science must be ended” (PDF), July 14, 2008. Retrieved from ilovemycarbondioxide.com. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog.

“The assertion that the recent rapid rise of CO2 is unique and dangerous is both deceptive and irrelevant because CO2 does not drive the world’s climate,” the letter claimed, adding “ there is clearly no evidence for the CO2-based theory of global warming. Indeed, there is only evidence against it.”6 “The UN Climate Change Panel must be called to account and cease its deceptive practices- Policies based on false science must be ended” (PDF), July 14, 2008. Retrieved from ilovemycarbondioxide.com. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog.

The letter was signed by many notable climate change deniers, including but not limited to:7 “The UN Climate Change Panel must be called to account and cease its deceptive practices- Policies based on false science must be ended” (PDF), July 14, 2008. Retrieved from ilovemycarbondioxide.com. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog.

March 2008

Alexander is listed as a “Climate Expert” who signed the Manhattan Declaration on Climate Change.8CLIMATE EXPERTS WHO SIGNED MANHATTAN DECLARATION,” International Climate Science Coalition. Accessed February, 2012.

The Declaration states that “global climate has always changed and always will, independent of the actions of humans, and that carbon dioxide (CO2) is not a pollutant but rather a necessity for all life.”

It concludes that “’global warming’ is not a global crisis.”

December 13, 2007

Alexander was a signatory to the 2007 open letter to the Secretary-General of the United Nations preceding the UN climate conference in Bali.

The letter describes CO2 as a “non-polluting gas” and suggests that reducing greenhouse gas emissions will not prevent global warming.9Open Letter to the Secretary-General of the United Nations,” December 13, 2007. Reprinted by the Science and Public Policy Institute.

April 2006

Signatory to an open letter to Stephen Harper urging inaction on climate policy, stating “allocating funds to ‘stopping climate change’ would be irrational” because it is supposedly a natural phenomenon.

Affiliations

Publications

According to a search of 22,000 academic journals for the name “WJR Alexander,” he has published three research articles in peer-reviewed journals.

Two of Alexander’s articles have been published in the Energy and Environment Journal. Energy and Environment, edited by climate change skeptic Sonja Boehmer-Christiansen, has been described as a journal skeptics can go to when they are rejected by the mainstream peer-reviewed science publications. It has also been widely criticized for allowing the publication of substandard papers.

Some of Alexander’s work has been published in a “Guest Weblog” for the Pielke Research Group. The founder of the site is Roger Pielke Sr., a research scientist for the Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Science (CIRES) and a global warming skeptic.

Alexander has published “two books and many published papers and presentations on the
development and application of risk analysis methods related to floods, water resources and
natural disasters.”

Peer-Reviewed Articles:

Sample Not Peer-Reviewed Articles:

  • WJR Alexander, “Climate change and its consequences – the manipulation of science” (PDF), University of Pretoria, Department of Civil Engineering – Water Resource and Flood Studies, August 19, 2011.
  • “Climate change in the southern and western Cape. A critical assessment,” University of Pretoria, Department of Civil Engineering – Water Resource and Flood Studies, February, 2006.
  • “Climate Change in the Western Cape. Fact or Fiction?” (PDF), University of Pretoria, Department of Civil Engineering – Water Resource and Flood Studies, June 2010. Republished by Climate Realists.
  • “An assessment of the likely consequences of global warming on the climate of South Africa” (PDF), University of Pretoria, Department of Civil Engineering – Water Resource and Flood Studies. Retrieved from Klimarealistene, Nov 4, 2011.
  • WJR Alexander. “Climate Change – There is no Need for Concern” (PDF), The Water Wheel, January/February 2004 (“Viewpoint” section).

Other Resources

Resources

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