James Taylor

James M. Taylor

Credentials

Background 

James McBee Taylor was elected president3James M. Taylor,” The Heartland Institute. Archived September 7, 2016. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/4XefX of the Heartland Institute on March 18, 2020.  He is also president of the Spark of Freedom foundation.4Spark of Freedom Foundation, Inc. Overview,” CorporationWiki. Accessed September 8, 2016. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/CgdKO He was previously director of the Arthur B. Robinson Center for Climate and Environmental Policy at the Heartland Institute, and former managing editor (2001-2014) of the Heartland publication Environment & Climate News. Taylor also formerly wrote a regular column for Forbes magazine.5Contributor: James Taylor,” Forbes magazine. Accessed September, 2016. Archived .png on file at DeSmog. 6JAMES TAYLOR,” The Heartland Institute. Archived May 8, 2020. Archive URL: https://archive.vn/BxncV

According to his profile at the Heartland Institute, Taylor has presented energy and environment analysis on CNN, Fox News, MSNBC, PBS, CBS, ABC, and other TV and radio outlets across the country.“7James M. Taylor,” The Heartland Institute. Archived September 7, 2016. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/4XefX

He has been a featured speaker at events sponsored by the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC), the State Policy Network (SPN), Cato Institute, Heritage FoundationEuropean Institute for Climate and Energy, and many others.8James M. Taylor,” The Heartland Institute. Archived September 7, 2016. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/4XefX

James Taylor previously served9Senior Fellows: James Taylor,” The Heartland Institute. Archived December 5, 2006. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/lvWcA as a legal analyst for the now-defunct Defenders of Property Rights. He has also been a Senior Fellow at the Cato Institute, and a member of the Federalist Society. He previously served as managing editor of CCH Incorporated’s disability law publications.10Policy Scholars,” Cato Institute. Archived June 7,2006. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/N3tq6

Spark of Freedom

Spark of Freedom reports that its aims are to “influence public policy by promoting free markets, affordable energy, and common-sense energy and environment solutions.” According to its website, environmentalists should “should recognize the benefits of energy sources such as natural gas, hydro, and nuclear power.” It adds, that “federal, state, and local government policies restrict production and use of these valuable, common-ground energy sources. That needs to change.”11About,” Spark of Freedom. Archived  .pdf on file at DeSmog. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/sUfne

A sample of recent articles in the “energy” category suggest that Spark of Freedom is pro-fracking and pro-nuclear, while opposing renewable energy like wind power:

Stance on Climate Change

2016

“Forget what global warming activists would lead you to believe – 2015 was not even close to the hottest year on record.”12James Taylor. “2015 Was Not Even Close To Hottest Year On Record,” Forbes, January 14, 2016. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/mw0a7

2011

“The evidence is powerful, straightforward, and damning. NASA satellite instruments precisely measuring global temperatures show absolutely no warming during the past the past 10 years.”13James Taylor. “Ten Years And Counting: Where’s The Global Warming?Forbes, June 8, 2011. Archived .pdf on file at Desmog. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/E9bLE

Key Quotes

May 2016

“Global warming is a greater threat to the American people than global terrorism, you say? Fine, then stop obstructing the hydraulic fracturing (fracking) process that is responsible for approximately half of our natural gas production.”14James Taylor. “Checkmating The Left On Global Warming,” Forbes, May 5, 2016. Archived March 1, 2021. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/lEAq9

June 2015

James Taylor on Pope Francis, the papal encyclical on the environment, and climate change:

“I think if he were to see the science as it is, then he would understand that it is more important to raise people out of poverty and give them that opportunity rather than fighting a mythical global warming crisis.”15Suzanne Goldenberg. “Republicans’ leading climate denier tells the pope to butt out of climate debate,” The Guardian, June 11, 2015. Archived September 7, 2016. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/r1vTW

May 6, 2014

James Taylor is quoted in a National Geographic article entitled, “Climate Report Provides Opportunity for Bridging Political Divide,” following the release of the US government’s National Climate Assessment:

“The report falsely asserts that global warming is causing more extreme weather events, more droughts, more record high temperatures, more wildfires, warmer winters, etc., when each and every one of these false assertions is contradicted by objective, verifiable evidence.”16Brian Clark Howard, “Climate Report Provides Opportunity to Bridge Political Divide,” National Geographic, May 6, 2014. Archived September 7, 2016. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/faCfu

May 6, 2014

James Taylor speaks on the Mark Levin show:

“Throughout human history, warmer climates have always been more beneficial to human health and welfare. Just because we have a little warming, even if humans are causing it, doesn’t mean we have to totally restructure our economy, restructure our society to fight this phantom menace [global warming].” 8:23-8:3917Jim Lakely. ”Heartland’s James Taylor Debunks Obama’s Climate Report on The Mark Levin Show,” The Heartland Institute, May 7, 2014. Archived September 7, 2016. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/2lW2O

“It depends how you define “global climate disruption.” If you define “global climate disruption” as being fewer and less severe hurricanes, fewer and less severe tornadoes, fewer and less severe instances of drought, wildfires, etc., well then I guess I would agree that global warming is causing tremendous [laughs] “global climate disruption.” But, of course, that’s all “beneficial disruption” where we see fewer of these extreme events.” 11:13-11:3618Jim Lakely. ”Heartland’s James Taylor Debunks Obama’s Climate Report on The Mark Levin Show,” The Heartland Institute, May 7, 2014. Archived September 7, 2016. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/2lW2O

November 20, 2013

“Global warming activists claim a serious public concern presently exists and the overwhelming majority of scientists agrees humans are creating a global warming crisis. The survey of AMS meteorologists, however, shows no such overwhelming majority exists. Indeed, to the extent we can assign a majority scientific opinion to whether all the necessary components of a global warming crisis exist, the AMS survey shows the majority does not agree humans are creating a global warming crisis.”19James Taylor. ”The Latest Meteorologist Survey Destroys The Global Warming Climate ‘Consensus’,” Forbes Op-Ed, November 20, 2013. Archived .pdf on file at Desmog. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/CICDs

May 14, 2012

“A primary reason why we are involved in climate change is [that] assertions of a global warming crisis are being utilized to impose restrictions on the economy, on free choices across the economy,” he said in a recent interview.

“To that extent, we want to make sure that the science justifies these restrictions on free markets and on individual liberty, and the best evidence indicates that the science does not justify these restrictions, so that’s why we are involved,” he added.20Heartland admits ‘mistake’ in billboard campaign,” E&E News, May 14, 2012.

June 15, 2011

“Without a doubt, the warming of the past 100 years has been a welcome respite from a long and deadly Little Ice Age. The possibility that humans may have contributed to the recent warming does not make it any less welcome.”21James Taylor. “The Black Death: Longing For The Good Old Days,” Forbes, June 15, 2011. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/BbNg0

Key Actions

October 31–November 12, 2021

James Taylor, filed under the Competitive Enterprise Institute, attended the twenty-sixth session of the Conference of the Parties (COP26) in Glasgow, according to the official provisional list of registered participants (PLOP).22“Provisional list of registered participants” (PDF), UNFCCC, November 1, 2021. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog.

Listed CEI representatives included:

April 6, 2020

Taylor, representing the Heartland Institute, is signatory to an American Energy Alliance letter to President Donald Trump supporting the Safer Affordable Fuel-Efficient (SAFE) Vehicles Rule which would scrap federal fuel economy mandates under the Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) program.23CAFE-Coaliton-to-Trump-April-2020-9 (PDF), American Energy Alliance.

Describing CAFE, the letter contends: “Those families and individuals who prefer or need trucks, SUVs, and crossovers pay more to subsidize those who buy smaller vehicles or electric vehicles under the existing mandate. This significant, needless, and unjust cost is a very real regressive tax on American families that has made our country worse off.”

January 23, 2020

Taylor delivered a presentation to the Idaho House Resources and Conservation Committee on the subject of climate variability in the state.24Post Register Editorial Board. “Idaho View: Heartland Institute presentation an embarrassment,” MagicValley.com, January 28, 2020. Archived January 28, 2020. Archive.is URL: http://archive.is/wip/nx7Cq

According to the committee’s meeting minutes, Taylor declared that temperatures in Idaho were “abnormally cool” compared to 10,000 years ago. He also stated that temperatures had increased slightly over the past 100 years.25Minutes of the House Resources & Conservation Committee (PDF), January 23, 2020. Retrieved from legislature.idaho.gov. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog.

See video below:

According to the Post Register in Idaho, Taylor incorrectly stated that the Idaho legislature authorized the creation of a study committee on the effects of climate change in March of 2019.26Post Register Editorial Board. “Idaho View: Heartland Institute presentation an embarrassment,” MagicValley.com, January 28, 2020. Archived January 28, 2020. Archive.is URL: http://archive.is/wip/nx7Cq

Taylor is living proof of Upton Sinclair’s saying: ‘It is difficult to get a man to understand something when his salary depends upon his not understanding it’,” the paper commented.

Pointing to Taylor’s report, the paper noted that “In the very first sentence, he writes that on March 6, 2019, the Legislature created an interim committee to study the effects of climate change in Idaho. There is no such committee.”

Taylor also refers to a report dated nearly two months before the hearings were supposed to have taken place. Taylor was corrected by committee members and apologized for the error.

The Idaho Post Register’s Editorial Board wrote in summation:

True, Gov. Little has had many accomplishments in office, but to our knowledge, he has not yet mastered time travel or altered the calendar to put March before January.”

Taylor seemed at times to be uncertain of the state in which he was testifying when he commented on agriculture and energy generation in Iowa. The paper commented on this:

He can be forgiven the slip-up. When grifting keeps you on the road all the time, it’s easy to forget where you are.”

Some committee members criticized Taylor’s presentation for including no mention of the significant increase in wildfires and loss of snowpack that Idaho scientists have determined to be directly related to climate change. Asked if he had spoken with any Idaho scientists before preparing his testimony, he replied that he had not.

Nevertheless, committee Chairman Marc Gibbs (R) gave Taylor the benefit of the doubt:

There are more than one opinion on this particular topic,” he said.

To which the Post Register Editorial Board remarked:

Indeed, there are two sides. On the one side stands the vast majority of Idaho scientists, as well as the global scientific community. On the other, a charlatan who thinks he’s in Des Moines.”

December 3, 2019

Taylor moderated a rebuttal to the United Nations’ COP25 climate summit in Madrid. The event, titled “Rebutting the United Nations’ Climate Delusion,” was co-sponsored by the Heartland Institute, the European Institute for Climate and Energy (EIKE), the Committee for a Constructive Tomorrow (CFACT), and the CO2 Coalition. Deniers of consensus climate science in attendance included William Happer, EIKE’s Wolfgang Müller, Anthony Watts, Tom Harris, Stanley Goldenberg, and Christopher Monckton.27Alex Newman. “Skeptics Bring Science to UN,” The New American, December 6, 2019. Archived December 7, 2019. Archive.is URL: http://archive.is/wip/qd7ui. Archived .mp4 on file at DeSmog.

Taylor described the event as a “climate reality forum,” and said:28Alex Newman. “Skeptics Bring Science to UN,” The New American, December 6, 2019. Archived December 7, 2019. Archive.is URL: http://archive.is/wip/qd7ui. Archived .mp4 on file at DeSmog.

Good news isn’t bad news. […] The evidence for a climate crisis simply doesn’t hold up. And that is not about attacking science, as many people would lead you to believe. It’s performing science, it’s advancing science. And again the news is good news, and that’s excellent for humanity, it’s excellent for people around the world, who would like to escape poverty and not be held down by energy restrictions imposed by the United Nations and national governments.”

William Happer, a former member of President Trump’s National Security Council, opened his presentation with: 

We are here under false pretenses, wasting our time talking about a non-existent climate emergency. And It’s hard to understand how much further the shrillness can go, as this started out as global warming, then it was climate change or global weirding, now it is climate crisis and climate emergency, what next, but stick around, it will happen. I hope sooner or later enough people recognize the phoniness of this bizarre environmental cult and bring it to an end.”

August 26, 2019

Taylor headlined a Heartland Institute live-stream rebuttal to the UN’s 68th Civil Society Sustainability Conference, which was being held in Salt Lake City, Utah. Heartland’s panel featured talks by Richard Keen, Howard Hayden, and Paul Driessen, among others.29Heartland Institute Rebuttal to UN ‘Civil Society’ Sustainability Conference,” YouTube video uploaded by user “The Heartland Institute,” August 26, 2019. Archived .mp4 on file at DeSmog.

According to the live-stream’s YouTube description, the event was organized to “show how the collectivist climate and sustainability programs promoted by the U.N. would cause more harm than good, especially for the world’s poorest and most disenfranchised people.”30Heartland Institute Rebuttal to UN ‘Civil Society’ Sustainability Conference,” YouTube video uploaded by user “The Heartland Institute,” August 26, 2019. Archived .mp4 on file at DeSmog.

Taylor’s remarks from the broadcast included:

What we see is that carbon dioxide emissions and a modestly warming planet are benefitting the human condition. […] For some reason, the media have gone into the argument that anything that’s warmer is bad. I mean, why? Why should warmer temperatures be badder than colder temperatures? (sic) […] Twenty times more people die from cold temperatures than from warm or hot temperatures.”

As our world is modestly warming, what we are seeing is crop production sets records around the world and what we see is hunger is in dramatic decline, and yet we have the head of United Nations climate organization saying that what they need to do is dramatically, deliberately reconfigure the entire global economy. […] What we’re seeing is a progression in the human condition and what we’re seeing is that as climate warms, if we want to blame fossil fuels, we’re seeing improvements in the human condition.”

December 4, 2018

Taylor kicked off a live-streamed Heartland Institute media event in Katowice, Poland scheduled to coincide with the 24th UN Conference of the Parties (COP-24).31Press Release: Heartland Institute To Present Latest Climate Science In Poland During Cop-24,” The Heartland Institute, November 15, 2018. Archived December 6, 2018. Archive.is URL: http://archive.is/g3JUH

During the announcement and presentation of a Heartland-sponsored report by the Nongovernmental International Panel on Climate Change (NIPCC) titled “Climate Change Reconsidered II: Fossil Fuels,” Taylor said:32Press Release: Heartland Institute To Present Latest Climate Science In Poland During Cop-24,” The Heartland Institute, November 15, 2018. Archived December 6, 2018. Archive.is URL: http://archive.is/g3JUH

“At COP-24 here in Katowice we have a gathering of the world’s global collectivists, the climate totalitarians, the global ruling class elites. And what they want to tell us is that humans are creating a global warming crisis that necessitates people sacrificing affordable energy, people sacrificing abundant energy, and people sacrificing their own individual and national rights to turn over to the global climate bureaucracy.”

Heartland’s report was touted as a summary for policymakers, and featured a section on the benefits of fossil fuels to human prosperity, health, and the environment. Heartland claims that their data proves that “humans are not causing a climate crisis.”33Press Release: Heartland Institute To Present Latest Climate Science In Poland During Cop-24,” The Heartland Institute, November 15, 2018. Archived December 6, 2018. Archive.is URL: http://archive.is/g3JUH

Video of the presentation, including Taylor’s remarks, can be viewed on Heartland’s YouTube page:

November 23–24, 2018

James Taylor was listed on the program for the 12th conference of the European Institute for Climate and Energy (EIKE), also billed as the Heartland Institute‘s 13th International Conference on Climate Change (ICCC13).34Program – 12th International Climate and Energy Conference” EIKE. Translated via Google Translate. Archived November 23, 2018. Archive.fo URL: https://archive.fo/NndcT

In a press release at the State Policy Network promoting the event, Taylor noted that “Heartland will stay in Europe through December 6 to push back at the Conference of the Parties (COP-24) , the United Nation’s annual event promoting the hypothesis that human activity is the main drive of catastrophic global warming. Heartland’s contingent includes Senior Fellow James Taylor and three scientists who will be presenting the latest science that undercuts climate alarmism.”35Program – 12th International Climate and Energy Conference” EIKE. Translated via Google Translate. Archived November 23, 2018. Archive.fo URL: https://archive.fo/NndcT

According to a translation of the agenda, Taylor spoke on “Why is skepticism mandatory?” on November 23, and on “The US Climate and Energy Policy 2 Years After the Presidential Election.

October 22, 2018

Writing at The Federalist, Taylor complained that The Washington Examiner was “increasingly taking on the left’s language and agenda” citing an article where the newspaper had accurately described the science proving the existence of man-made climate change as settled. Taylor pointed to several articles that he argued were unfair to Donald Trump when Josh Siegel and John Siciliano wrote that “trump “has denied climate science.”36James Taylor. “Is The Swamp Swallowing The Washington Examiner’s Energy And Climate Reporting?“ The Federalist, October 22, 2018. Archived November 7, 2018. Archive.fo URL: https://archive.fo/5og20

“Trump has never said there is no such thing as climate science, which would be the factual definition of ‘denying climate science.’ Trump acknowledges climate science exists; he merely sides with the many thousands of scientists who are skeptical about predictions of an imminent crisis,” Taylor wrote, adding, “Moreover, the term ‘denier’ was inserted into the global warming debate by environmental leftists who want a more loaded term than ‘skeptics’.”

Taylor was also concerned that the journalists had acknowledged the consensus on the existence of man-made climate change: “On October 18, the two journalists released another biased and inaccurate criticism of Trump on climate issues. They wrote, ‘Trump on Tuesday continued to falsely assert that the science is unsettled on climate change and its causes…’ Yet the causes of climate change are very unsettled.”

“Real world observations also show temperatures are rising closer to 0.15 degrees per decade, which defies the predictions in all of the IPCC reports. Yet Siegel and Siciano [sic] state that it is false to claim there is scientific uncertainty regarding global warming,” Taylor wrote. He also cited a survey of meteorologists as supposed evidence to counter the consensus from climate scientists.

March 24, 2017

Taylor spoke at the Heartland Institute‘s 12th International Conference on Climate Change (ICCC12), appearing on a panel titled “Cost of Alternative Fuels.”37JAMES TAYLOR,” Climateconference.heartland.org. Archived April 6, 2017. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/lo53l

February 9, 2017

Writing at Spark Freedom, James Taylor suggests that President Donald Trump “would be wise to remove government impediments to oil and natural gas fracking.” He concludes that “This is the path to national prosperity and political success. ”This is the path to national prosperity and political success.”38James Taylor. “Fracking Added $1,000 to Household Budgets Last Year,” Spark Freedom, February 9, 2017. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/mKZDB

December 12, 2016

James Taylor attended a private meeting on Capitol Hill, also attended by Trump’s EPA Transition team lead Myron EbellE&E News reported that the event was not open to the public or to the press and Ebell refused to give any details. The event was hosted by the Competitive Enterprise Institute (CEI) and held in the hearing room of the Senate Environment and Public Works (EPW) Committee. The EPW committee is chaired by Senator James Inhofe who, like Trump, has described human-caused climate change as a hoax.39George Cahlink. “Trump EPA adviser Myron Ebell meets with Hill aides,” E&E News, December 12, 2016.

DeSmog reported that the event featured the “Who’s Who of Climate Science Deniers.”40Graham Readfearn. “Donald Trump’s Aide at EPA Myron Ebell Meets with Who’s Who of Climate Science Deniers,” DeSmog, December 13, 2016. Australian Senator Malcolm Roberts, who spoke at the event, also wrote that the meeting was a gathering of the Cooler Heads Coalition and listed some of the participants on Facebook: [49]

Malcolm Roberts Facebook Post

Names mentioned above included:

DeSmog also noted that three of the attendees—Myron Ebell, Randy Randol, and Steve Milloy—had all been part of the Global Climate Science Communications Team in the late 1990s, a group organized by the American Petroleum Institute. According to an early memo, the group said “victory will be achieved when […] Average citizens ‘understand’ (recognize) uncertainties in climate science; recognition of uncertainties becomes part of the ‘conventional wisdom’.”41Global Climate Science Communications Plan (1998),” SourceWatch.

December 8, 2016

James Taylor was a speaker at the “At the Crossroads III Energy and Climate Summit,” an event co-hosted by the Heritage Foundation and the Texas Public Policy Foundation (TPPF). The event was billed as “the premier energy-and-climate policy event in America,” and attracted a range of prominent climate change deniers as well as a range of names connected to Donald Trump and his transition team.42At the Crossroads III: Energy and Climate Policy Summit,Heritage Foundation, December 8, 2016. Archived December 22, 2016. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/AKaKq

Doug Domenech, director of the Texas Public Policy Foundation’s “Fueling Freedom” project, wrote about the proceedings at The HillDomenech outlined the common climate change denial message shared among the speakers: “Is climate change real? Yes, it has happened in the past and will happen in the future. Is man making an impact on the climate? Perhaps but in very small ways. But the overarching consensus remains the climate change we are experiencing is by no means catastrophic.”43Doug Domenech. “Climate change: Speaking truth to power,” The Hill, December 13, 2016. Archived December 21, 2016. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/zAEH5

Speakers included:

August 2016

James Taylor wrote an article in Forbes titled “How Conservatives Can Win the Global Warming Policy Debate,” where he argues that Conservatives “Have a golden opportunity to show political leadership and checkmate the left on global warming policy with a conservative energy agenda championing natural gas, hydro, and nuclear power.”44James Taylor. ”How Conservatives Can Win The Global Warming Policy Debate,” Forbes, Aug 3, 2016. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/QmJ6l

“The reason global warming science has become a political issue is political leaders on the left seek to ‘solve’ global warming by converting our economy into one that relies on expensive and unreliable wind and solar power,” Taylor writes.

“When the liberal media attempt to paint conservative policymakers as ‘deniers’ and corner them with ‘gotcha’ global warming questions, conservative policymakers can flip the issue on its head by saying, ‘I am skeptical of over-the-top global warming claims. However, I am prepared to demonstrate effective leadership and offer creative solutions by championing affordable energy that will immediately and substantially reduce carbon dioxide emissions. Why won’t liberals do the same?’”

Taylor points to his own free-market energy policy paper “A Guide to Nevada Energy Policy” (PDF) which he wrote for the Nevada Policy Research Institute in June, 2016.45“A Guide to Energy Policy” (PDF), Nevada Policy Research Institute, June 15, 2016. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog.

June 15, 2016

James Taylor wrote a policy report for the Nevada Policy Research Institute titled “Energy policy, the make or break for Nevada’s economy” focused on giving “policymakers important information necessary to cultivate sustainable economic growth through wise energy policy.”46James Taylor. “Energy policy, the make or break for Nevada’s economy: A comprehensive guide for responsible and sound energy policy,” Nevada Policy Research Institute, June 15, 2016. Archived June 25, 2016.  Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/S192c

Among the report’s “key policy proposals” is to “[eliminate] the current standards for green-energy” in Nevada:47James Taylor. “Energy policy, the make or break for Nevada’s economy: A comprehensive guide for responsible and sound energy policy,” Nevada Policy Research Institute, June 15, 2016. Archived June 25, 2016.  Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/S192c

Nevada’s existing renewable power mandate promotes expensive energy sources that raise prices, kill jobs and reduce Nevada living standards. Moreover, a full-spectrum environmental impact analysis shows Nevada’s existing renewable power mandate promotes some environmentally destructive energy sources at the expense of much greener options,” the report summary reads.

The NPRI study is available here (PDF).48“A Guide to Energy Policy” (PDF), Nevada Policy Research Institute, June 15, 2016. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog.

January 2016

James Taylor wrote an article in Forbes claiming that 2015 was not the hottest year on record:49James Taylor. “2015 Was Not Even Close To Hottest Year On Record,” Forbes, January 14, 2016. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/mw0a7

“Forget what global warming activists would lead you to believe – 2015 was not even close to the hottest year on record.

Satellite temperature readings going back to 1979 show 1998 was by far the warmest year in the satellite era, followed by 2010. 2015 comes in third. And these results are only for the period since 1979.”50James Taylor. “2015 Was Not Even Close To Hottest Year On Record,” Forbes, January 14, 2016. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/mw0a7

Slate magazine wrote a counter article, noting that  “far and away, without question, and where it counts, 2015 was the hottest year on record.” The magazine explains:51Phil Plait. “2015: The Hottest Year on Record,” Slate, January 15, 2016. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/zVl3p

“So how can Taylor make this claim? Well, as usual, it’s to cherry-pick a very, very specific set of circumstances: Satellite measurements of a single layer of the atmosphere. As I (and many others) have shown, these satellite measurements are not terribly reliable over the long term, and are nowhere near as accurate as temperatures measured from the ground using thermometers.

Despite this, Taylor states, ‘By contrast, temperature measurements at the Earth’s surface are less reliable,’ which is just flatly wrong. Seriously. It’s just complete fertilizer.”52Phil Plait. “2015: The Hottest Year on Record,” Slate, January 15, 2016. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/zVl3p

Slate also quotes analyses of Taylor’s claims by scientists at Climate Feedback, who used terms like “total fabrication” and “very misleading” and “disingenuous” and “inaccurate” and “wild misrepresentation” with reference to Taylor’s claim. They offer the following summary of the “scientists’ feedback”:53Analysis of James Taylor’s ‘2015 Was Not Even Close To Hottest Year On Record’,” Climate Feedback. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/5OEwV

“This is an inaccurate and misleading report. It only comments on the temperature in the troposphere (not at the surface of the Earth, where people live) and ignores most of the data available to discuss whether or not Earth’s climate is warming. It is based on a single, unpublished and contested record.”

December 7, 2015

James Taylor appeared at the United Nation’s Conference on Climate Change, COP21, in Paris, France with the Heartland Institute, the Committee for a Constructive Tomorrow (CFACT), and the Competitive Enterprise Institute (CEI) to “hold a ‘counter-conference’ … called the Day of Examining the Data.”54PARIS COP-21: Day of Examining the Data with The Heartland Institute, CFACT, and CEI,” Heartland Institute, December 7, 2015.

Other notable climate change deniers that were in attendance at the “counter-conference,” included: Robert Carter, Willie Soon, Christopher EssexS. Fred Singer, Patrick MooreWolfgang Müller, James Inhofe, and Christopher Monckton.55Bringing Climate Realism to Paris at COP-21,” Heartland Institute, December 7, 2015. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/NIkCy

Watch James Taylor’s “counter-conference” presentation with the Heartland Institute, below (James Taylor’s presentation begins at 3:53:40):

August 25, 2015

James Taylor was a speaker at the “Affordable Energy Summit 8.0” in Las Vegas, Nevada, which was co-sponsored by the Heartland Institute and the Libertarian Party of Nevada.56Speakers,” Affordable Energy Summit 8.0. Archived September 3, 2015. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/iiBhz

According to the Affordable Energy Summit’s “Events” webpage, the purpose of the summit was to “discuss the costs of climate change, as well as the fiscal and environmental impact of the so-called ‘Clean Power Plan.’”57Events,” Affordable Energy Summit 8.0. Archived September 3, 2015. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/THVSU 

It goes on to state that the speakers at the National Clean Energy Summit, which took place just one day earlier, “believe that evidence of man-made global warming is enough to justify any action intended to solve the problem, without regard for effectiveness and without any regard for the expense.”58Events,” Affordable Energy Summit 8.0. Archived September 3, 2015. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/THVSU

James Taylor wrote in Forbes that, “Unlike the Clean Energy Summit, the Affordable Energy Summit will present the full picture on energy, economics, and the environment.” Taylor asserts that wind and solar power initiatives are “not only prohibitively expensive, but they produce worse environmental damage than the conventional power Obama and Reid seek to vilify.”59James Taylor. “What The Clean Energy Summit Doesn’t Want You To Know,” Forbes, August 24, 2015.  Archived September 3, 2015. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/u7guf

June 11-12, 2015

James Taylor was a speaker on Panel 7: “Climate Policy and National Security,” at the Heartland Institute’s Tenth International Conference on Climate Change (ICCC10) in Washington, D.C., with Jay Lehr.60Speakers,” Heartland Institute. Archived June 30, 2015. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/lpiqu

View James Taylor’s Panel 7 presentation at the Heartland Institute’s ICCC10, below:61Panel 7: Climate Policy and National Security with Capt. Donald K. “Deke” Forbes (USN, ret.), Jay Lehr, Ph.D., and James Taylor,” Heartland Institute, June 11, 2015. Archived July 20, 2015.

March 2015

James Taylor is one of several climate change skeptics cc’d on an email from S. Fred Singer in hopes of countering the documentary film “Merchants of Doubt,” which exposes the network of climate change skeptics and deniers trying to delay legislative action on climate change. Taylor is one of those featured in the film.62Katherine Bagley. “Leaked Email Reveals Who’s Who List of Climate Denialists,” InsideClimate News. March 12, 2015. Archived September 7, 2016. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/CVOi5

The October, 2014 email (PDF) was leaked to journalists before the documentary was released. “Can I sue for damages?” Singer asked in the email. “Can we get an injunction against the documentary?”63“Re: Re Oreskes: File Grievance with Harvard & Standford & UC” (PDF), S. Fred Singer. PDF Archived at DeSmog.

InsideClimate News reports in their article “Leaked Email Reveals Who’s Who List of Climate Denialists,” how “Many of those copied on the email thread, such as Singer and communications specialist Steven Milloy, have financial ties to the tobacco, chemical, and oil and gas industries and have worked to defend them since the 1990s.”64Katherine Bagley. “Leaked Email Reveals Who’s Who List of Climate Denialists,” InsideClimate News. March 12, 2015. Archived September 7, 2016. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/CVOi5

InsideClimate News also documented all those who were cc’d on the email, including the following skeptics and groups:

DeSmogBlog covered the emails here: “Merchants of Doubt Film Debuts, Textbook Denial Attack Campaign Led By Fred Singer Ensues” and DeSmogBlog also archived a full copy of the Singer email thread (PDF)[28]

February 9, 2015

James Taylor published an article in Forbes titled “Top 10 Global Warming Lies That May Shock You,” in response to the Environment Defense Fund’s “10 Global Warming Effects That May Shock You.” Below is a summary of the assertions that Taylor makes in his article:65James Taylor. “Top 10 Global Warming Lies That May Shock You,” Forbes. February 9, 2015. Archived .pdf on file at Desmog. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/cFbFF

  1. “Objective science proves extreme weather events such as hurricanes, tornadoes, heat waves, and droughts have become less frequent and less severe as a result of the Earth’s recent modest warming.”
  2. “Any attempt to connect a warmer climate to an increase in Lyme Disease must be accompanied by an acknowledgement of a warmer climate’s propensity to reduce influenza incidence and mortality.”
  3. “Regarding food and water supplies, global crop production has soared as the Earth gradually warms. Atmospheric carbon dioxide is essential to plant life, and adding more of it to the atmosphere enhances plant growth and crop production.” […] “The same holds true for water supplies. Objective data show there has been a gradual increase in global precipitation and soil moisture as our planet warms.”
  4. “The pace of sea level rise remained relatively constant throughout the 20th century, even as global temperatures gradually rose. There has similarly been no increase in the pace of sea level rise in recent decades.”
  5. “[A]larmists here are taking overwhelmingly good news about global warming improving plant health and making it seem like this good news is actually bad news because healthier plants mean more pollen.”
  6. “Alarmists claim warmer winters are causing an increase in pine beetle populations. This assertion is thoroughly debunked by objective, real-world data.” […] “Pine beetles are a natural part of forest ecosystems. Expanding pine forests can support more beetles.”
  7. “[G]lobal warming realists understand a climate more conducive to richer, more abundant plant life is beneficial rather than harmful.”
  8. “Severe storms, floods and agricultural losses may cost a great deal of money, but such extreme weather events – and their resulting costs – are dramatically declining as the Earth modestly warms. Accordingly, EDF’s asserted economic costs are actually economic benefits.”
  9. “Outbreaks of ‘new or resurgent diseases’ are occurring precisely because governments have caved in to environmental activist groups like EDF and implemented their anti-science agendas.”
  10. “To the contrary, the Antarctic Ice Sheet has been growing at a steady and substantial pace ever since NASA satellites first began measuring the Antarctic ice sheet in 1979.”

Skeptical Science has also compiled a large number of arguments common to climate change skeptics. Among these are refutations to many of the arguments that Taylor uses most in his Forbes post:66Global Warming & Climate Change Myths,” SkepticalScience. Accessed June 4, 3015. Archived September 7, 2016. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/GZ0EN

Skeptic Argument: Climate change isn’t bad. 
Response: Negative impacts of global warming on agriculture, health & environment far outweigh any positives.

Skeptic Argument: Extreme weather isn’t connected to global warming
Response: Global warming amplifies the risk factors for extreme weather events – and that is all that Climate Science claims.

Skeptic Argument: CO2 is Plant Food
Response More Carbon Dioxide in the atmosphere is not necessarily good for plants.

Skeptic Argument: CO2 Levels were higher in the past
Response: The Ordovician glaciation was a brief excursion to coldness during an otherwise warm era, due to a coincidence of conditions. It is completely consistent with climate science.

Skeptic Argument: Sea level rise predictions are exaggerated
Response: Sea levels are rising faster now than in the previous century, and could rise between 50cm to 1.5 metres by 2100

Skeptic Argument: Ice Isn’t Melting
Response: Arctic summer sea ice has shrunk by an area equal to Western Australia, and might be all gone in a decade.

Skeptic Argument: Ice Sheet losses are overestimated
Response: Wu et al (2010) use a new method to calculate ice sheet mass balance. This method, like all new methods will improve and be revised with time. Although, it does not agree well with most other measurement techniques, Wu et al’s (2010) estimate is still at the upper end of IPCC predictions for ice losses and shows extensive land-ice losses from both Antarctica and Greenland.

December 26, 2014

James Taylor wrote an article in Forbes titled “Wheat Production Sets New Records Thanks To Global Warming,67James Taylor. “Wheat Production Sets New Records Thanks To Global Warming,” Forbes. December 26, 2014. Archived .pdf on file at Desmog. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/ooXVj where he claimed that Reuters and other sources including Grist68Fiona Harvey. “Bad news for wheat and eaters everywhere,” Grist, December 23, 2014. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/UqkgJ and the Guardian had published “false claims about global warming reducing wheat harvests.”69Fiona Harvey. “Global warming will cut wheat yields, research shows,” The Guardian, December 23, 2014. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/cYrkY

According to Taylor, “This newest round of global warming alarmism –with global warming activists and their willfully ignorant media allies attempting to dupe people into believing global warming is causing a decline in wheat harvests – is a perfect illustration of all that is wrong with the alarmist global warming movement.”70James Taylor. “Wheat Production Sets New Records Thanks To Global Warming,” Forbes. December 26, 2014. Archived .pdf on file at Desmog. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/ooXVj

A number of scientific studies continue to report counter to Taylor’s claims. For example, here is a summary of a 2014 study in Nature Climate Change (available at ScienceDaily):

“Future global wheat harvest is likely to be reduced by six per cent per each degree Celsius of local temperature increase if no adaptation takes place. Worldwide this would correspond to 42 million tons of yield reduction, which equals a quarter of current global wheat trade, experts warn.”71Natural Resources Institute Finland. “Global warming reduces wheat production markedly if no adaptation takes place.” ScienceDaily. January 12, 2015. Archived September 7, 2016.

October 9, 2014

James Taylor is quoted in the Heartland Institute‘s press release, “Heartland Institute Climate Experts Comment on 18 Straight Years of No Global Warming,” which states “the global mean surface temperature has not risen for 18 consecutive years. This extends the so-called ‘pause’ in global warming to a new record, one not predicted by the climate models of the United Nations’ International Panel on Climate Change (IPCC).”72James Taylor. “Heartland Institute Climate Experts Comment on 18 Straight Years of No Global Warming,” Heartland Institute, October 9, 2014. Archived October 16, 2014. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/nuCrS

Taylor writes:

The ongoing 18 years without any warming strongly contradict alarmist predictions of global warming doom-and-gloom. According to nearly all of the United Nations’ computer models, this lack of warming could not occur. The real-world climate proves the alarmist computer models overstate the warming properties of carbon dioxide. Even when Earth resumes its modest warming, which it likely will at some point in the next couple of decades, the pace of warming will continue to be quite modest and beneficial to human welfare and global ecosystems.”73James Taylor. “Heartland Institute Climate Experts Comment on 18 Straight Years of No Global Warming,” Heartland Institute, October 9, 2014. Archived October 16, 2014. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/nuCrS

September 2014

James Taylor writes in Forbes that a “NOAA Report Destroys Global Warming Link to Extreme Weather.” According to Taylor, “Scientists at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration have demolished claims by global warming activists that global warming caused or worsened many extreme weather events last year.”74James Taylor. “NOAA Report Destroys Global Warming Link To Extreme Weather,” Forbes. September 10, 2014. Archived .pdf on file at Desmog. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/blcJb

However, based on the NOAA Report, a summary of which is available online, Taylor may have cherry picked specific findings that supports his view. For example, while the report does find that three independent studies “did not find conclusive evidence for the impact of human-caused climate change on the ongoing rainfall deficit in California,” it does not claim this with certainty. It continues: “One paper found evidence that atmospheric pressure patterns increased due to human causes, but the influence on the California drought remains uncertain.”75New report finds human-caused climate change increased severity of 2013 heat waves in Asia, Europe and Australia,” National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. September 29, 2014. Archived September 7, 2016. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/FQBFx

More importantly, the same study does find connections to specific extreme weather events and man-made climate change. For example, looking at New Zealand’s heat waves, “five independent studies all pointed toward human influence having a substantial increase in the likelihood and severity of the record 2013 temperatures in Australia.”

Two more examples are provided from Asia (emphasis added): 

“Japan, Korea and China all experienced extremely hot summers in 2013. Studies of these events concluded that human-caused climate change made these heat waves more likely.”

“With an early arrival of monsoon-like atmospheric circulation in June, the heavy precipitation that occurred in northern India was a once-in-a-century event; however, analyses of observed and simulated June precipitation provide evidence that human-caused climate change has increased the likelihood of such an event.”76New report finds human-caused climate change increased severity of 2013 heat waves in Asia, Europe and Australia,” National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. September 29, 2014. Archived September 7, 2016. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/FQBFx

August 30, 2014

James Taylor, Marc Morano, William O’Keefe, Tim Phillips, and S. Fred Singer were all featured in the film Merchants of Doubt, based on the 2010 non-fiction book by Naomi Oreskes and Erik Conway.77Merchants of Doubt; A Film By Robert Kenner,” Sony Pictures Classics, August 30, 2014. Archived September 7, 2016. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/T9HD1

According to the film’s synopsis, Merchants of Doubt “lifts the curtain on a secretive group of highly charismatic, silver- tongued pundits-for-hire who present themselves in the media as scientific authorities – yet have the contrary aim of spreading maximum confusion about well-studied public threats ranging from toxic chemicals to pharmaceuticals to climate change.”

May 19, 2014

James Taylor appeared in episode six of the Showtime Series, Years of Living Dangerously, entitled, “Winds of Change.”78Episode 6: Winds of Change,” ClimateClassroom.org.

When asked if Taylor is a lawyer by training, but not a scientist by training, Taylor responded, “I’m a lawyer by training, but I don’t practice … But I’m a scientist by training as well. I successfully completed Ivy League atmospheric science courses, so I’m a scientist by training.”

May 6, 2014

James Taylor was asked to be a speaker on The Mark Levin Show to “break down the laughably biased and anti-scientific aspects of the National Climate Assessment report,” the same day the government’s assessment was released.79Jim Lakely. ”Heartland’s James Taylor Debunks Obama’s Climate Report on The Mark Levin Show,” The Heartland Institute, May 7, 2014. Archived September 7, 2016. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/2lW2O

July 13, 2013

Months before the UNIPCC COP19 in Warsaw, Poland, James Taylor publishes a report via The Heartland Institute entitled, “IPCC Lead Author Says Climate Models are Failing.” According to the lead author, Hans von Storch, the planet should be warming much more than it has been–and no one has been able to answer why “climate change seems to be taking a break.”80IPCC Lead Author Says Climate Models are Failing,” The Heartland Institute, July 13, 2013. Archived September 7, 2016. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/Fw9LE

November 30–December 1, 2012

James Taylor was a speaker (PDF) at the Eighth International Conference on Climate Change (ICCC-8)/Fifth International Conference on Climate and Energy (ICCE-5) sponsored by both the Heartland Institute and the European Institute for Climate and Energy (EIKE). Taylor’s speech is titled “Setting the Record Straight – Politics, the Media and the Abuse of Science.”81“8th International Conference on Climate Change (ICCC-8): V International Conference on Climate and Energy (ICCE-5). Hotel Bayerischer Hof, Munich, November 30 – December 1, 2012” (PDF) retrieved from eike-klima-energy.eu on November 24, 2012.

June 2011

James Taylor was a keynote speaker at the Heartland Institute’s Sixth International Conference on Climate Change.824th International Conference on Climate Change (PDF),” The Heartland Institute. .pdf archived at Desmog.

May 2010

Spoke at the Heartland Institute’s Fourth International Conference on Climate Change. (PDF)834th International Conference on Climate Change (PDF),” The Heartland Institute. .pdf archived at Desmog.

Fox News reported on the conference, describing how Taylor supposedly proved that “global cooling is already happening” because “This past ‘decade set a record for largest average global snow extent’.”844th International Conference on Climate Change (PDF),” The Heartland Institute. .pdf archived at Desmog. 85Gene J. Koprowski. “Global Cooling Is Coming – and Beware the Big Chill, Scientist Warns,” Fox News, May 19, 2010. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/zADBn

The science blog Deltoid subsequently debunked Taylor’s claim, showing how he had misrepresented the data from Rutgers University Global Snow Lab on which he had made his assertion.86Tim Lambert. “James M. Taylor hides the decline,” Deltoid, May 22, 2010. Archived September 7, 2016. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/nODpo

March 2009 

James Taylor spoke at the Heartland Institute’s 2009 International Conference on Climate Change.87Speakers,” Heartland.org, February 17, 2009. Archived February 18, 2009. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/aZYcI

March 4, 2008 

James Taylor spoke at the Heartland Institute’s Second International Conference on Climate Change.882008 International Conference on Climate Change: Audio,” The Heartland Institute. Archived March 1, 2010. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/NrXOK

Affiliations 

Publications

According to a search of Google Scholar, James M. Taylor has not published any research in peer-reviewed journals. The search does list that he has published numerous articles with the Heartland Institute.

Taylor’s profile at the Heartland Institute has a full list of his publications. Taylor also maintains a weekly column titled “Endpoint Analysis” at Forbes.com.96James M. Taylor,” The Heartland Institute. Archived September 7, 2016. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/4XefX

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