Kiminori Itoh
Credentials
- Ph.D., Industrial Chemistry, University of Tokyo (1978).1“Guest Weblog By Dr. Kiminori Itoh Of Yokohama National University,” Climate Science: Roger Pielke Sr. Research Group News, June 17, 2008. Archived Feb 15, 2009.
Background
Dr. Kiminori Itoh received his Ph.D. in industrial chemistry from University of Tokyo in 1978.2“Guest Weblog By Dr. Kiminori Itoh Of Yokohama National University,” Climate Science: Roger Pielke Sr. Research Group News, June 17, 2008. Archived Feb 15, 2009. 3“KIMINORI ITOH,” Heartland Institute. Archived November 23, 2019. Archive.fo URL: https://archive.ph/fhDez
As of 2012, Itoh was listed at Yokohama National University’s Graduate School of Environment and Information Science department. He is also present on a 2014 faculty list. According to a university representative, he no longer works at the university, however as of 2019 his profile at the Heartland Institute still listed him as a faculty member of Yokohama National University.4“All Staffs,” Yokohama National University Graduate School of Environment and Informational Science. Archived July 2, 2012. Archive.fo URL:https://archive.ph/n9GfN 5“Acceptable faculty list” (PDF), Yokohama National University, April 2014. Translated with Google Translate. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog.
Kiminori Itoh has introduced himself a “physical chemist familiar with environmental sciences, and not particularly specialized in climate science.” He is the author of the Japanese-language book Lies and Traps in the Global Warming Affairs.6“Guest Weblog By Dr. Kiminori Itoh Of Yokohama National University,” Climate Science: Roger Pielke Sr. Research Group News, June 17, 2008. Archived Feb 15, 2009.
He was listed as one of the “10 Most-Respected Global Warming Skeptics” by Business Insider in 2009.7Joe Weisenthal. “The 10 Most-Respected Global Warming Skeptics,” Business Insider, July 30, 2009. Archived November 23, 2019. Archive.fo URL: https://archive.ph/AIx73
Stance on Climate Change
2008
Itoh concluded his book on climate change with the following points:8“Japanese IPCC scientists says global warming ‘worst scientific scandal’,” The Orange County Register, June 18, 2008. Archived September 1, 2014. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/o1Qlm
- “The global temperature will not increase rapidly if at all. There is sufficient time to think about future energy and social systems.”
- “The climate system is more robust than conventionally claimed. For instance, the Gulf Stream will not stop due to fresh water inflow.”
- “There are many factors that cause the climate changes, particularly in regional and local scales. Considering only greenhouse gasses is nonsense and harmful.”
- “A comprehensive climate convention is necessary. The framework-protocol formulism is too old to apply to modern international issues.”
- “Reconsider countermeasures for the climate changes. For instance, to reduce Asian Brown Cloud through financial and technical aid of developed countries is beneficial from many aspects, and can become a Win-Win policy.”
- “The policy makers should be ‘Four-ball jugglers.’ Multiple viewpoints are inevitable to realize sustainable societies.”
Key Quotes
2008
Itoh was quoted in Senator James Inhofe‘s report that had claimed hundreds of scientists were dissenting over man-made global warming, while a large number of the cited scientists did not have expertise in the field of climate science:9(Press Release). “UN Blowback: More Than 650 International Scientists Dissent Over Man-Made Global Warming Claims,” U.S. Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works, December 10, 2008. Archived March 25, 2009. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/DBWee 10“UN Scientists Who Have Turned on UNIPCC Man-Made Climate Fears – A Climate Depot Flashback Report,” Climate Depot, August 21, 2013. Archived November 25, 2019. Archive URL:https://archive.ph/UkhSq
“Warming fears are the ‘worst scientific scandal in the history… When people come to know what the truth is, they will feel deceived by science and scientists.’”11“UN Scientists Who Have Turned on UNIPCC Man-Made Climate Fears – A Climate Depot Flashback Report,” Climate Depot, August 21, 2013. Archived November 25, 2019. Archive URL:https://archive.ph/UkhSq
2008
Itoh was featured in a guest blog post at Roger Pielke Senior‘s website:
“I also took a patent on sunspot number anticipation, and did some contribution to the IPCC AR4 as an expert reviewer. This is no doubt surprising for an environmental physical chemist like me. I am now even feeling that my original expertise, metrology, was all along close to meteorology; that is, ‘meteorology’ is formed by putting ‘eo’ inside ‘metrology’.”12“Guest Weblog By Dr. Kiminori Itoh Of Yokohama National University,” Climate Science: Roger Pielke Sr. Research Group News, June 17, 2008. Archived Feb 15, 2009.
Key Deeds
March 30, 2009
Itoh’s signature is appended to a full-page ad funded by the right-wing CATO institute that appeared in numerous newspapers including the Washington Post, the New York Times and the Chicago Tribune in 2009.
The advertisement criticizes President Obama’s declaration that “few challenges facing America and the world are more urgent than combating climate change,” stating that “with all due respect Mr. President, that is not true.”
The ad claims that “there has been no net global warming for over a decade,” and that the dangers of global warming are “grossly overstated.”13“With all due respect Mr. President, that is not true,” Retrieved from the The Cato Institute. Archived June 1, 2010. Archive.fo URL: https://archive.ph/RgEvw
2008
Itoh’s name appears in the 2008 U.S. Senate Minority Report by senator James Inhofe that lists 650 global warming dissenters within the scientific community.
Itoh’s statement in the report appears to be an amalgamation of the title of the preface to his book, “The Worst Scientific Scandal In History,” and a statement given by Dr. Syun-Ichi Akasofu: “When people know what the truth is, they will feel deceived by science and scientists.”
Affiliations
- The Heartland Institute — Heartland expert.14“Heartland Experts: Kiminori Itoh,” The Heartland Institute. Archived July 23, 2012. Archive.fo URL: https://archive.ph/NoJw6 15“KIMINORI ITOH,” Heartland Institute. Archived November 23, 2019. Archive.fo URL: https://archive.ph/fhDez
On his profile on the Heartland Institute, Itoh is described as an IPCC (Independent Panel on Climate Change) AR4 “Expert Reviewer.”
This title can be misleading, as it does not mean he was officially asked by the IPCC to review material. Rather, virtually anyone who requests to view a draft IPCC report and agrees not to publicly comment on the material is considered an expert reviewer.
Social Media
@Itoh_Kiminori on Twitter.
Publications
According to Google Scholar and Yokohama National University, Dr. Itoh has not published any work in the area of climate change in peer-reviewed science journals.
Itoh has written four books on the subject of global warming, all in Japanese. His most recent book, translated to Lies and Traps in the Global Warming Affairs, is divided up as follows:
Introduction: “The global warming issue as an environmental terrorism.”
Chapter 1: “Is the earth really warming?”
Chapter 2: “What drives the temperature change?”
Chapter 3: “Are abnormal weathers really abnormal?”
Chapter 4: “Adhockery of “An Inconvenient Truth.”
Chapter 5: “Future perspective from the reflection of Kyoto Protocol.”
Itoh also writes “points for policy makers” such as how “the global temperature will not increase rapidly if any,” so there “is sufficient time to think about future energy and social systems,” and that “the climate system is more robust than conventionally claimed.”
Other Resources
- July 30, 2009.”Guest Weblog By Kiminori Itoh ‘Soot And The Arctic Ice – A Win-Win Policy Based On Chinese Coal Fired Power Plants’,” Pielke Research Group, August 21, 2009.
- “UN Blowback: More Than 650 International Scientists Dissent Over Man-Made Global Warming Claims,” U.S. Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works, December 10, 2008.
Resources
- 1“Guest Weblog By Dr. Kiminori Itoh Of Yokohama National University,” Climate Science: Roger Pielke Sr. Research Group News, June 17, 2008. Archived Feb 15, 2009.
- 2“Guest Weblog By Dr. Kiminori Itoh Of Yokohama National University,” Climate Science: Roger Pielke Sr. Research Group News, June 17, 2008. Archived Feb 15, 2009.
- 3“KIMINORI ITOH,” Heartland Institute. Archived November 23, 2019. Archive.fo URL: https://archive.ph/fhDez
- 4“All Staffs,” Yokohama National University Graduate School of Environment and Informational Science. Archived July 2, 2012. Archive.fo URL:https://archive.ph/n9GfN
- 5“Acceptable faculty list” (PDF), Yokohama National University, April 2014. Translated with Google Translate. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog.
- 6“Guest Weblog By Dr. Kiminori Itoh Of Yokohama National University,” Climate Science: Roger Pielke Sr. Research Group News, June 17, 2008. Archived Feb 15, 2009.
- 7Joe Weisenthal. “The 10 Most-Respected Global Warming Skeptics,” Business Insider, July 30, 2009. Archived November 23, 2019. Archive.fo URL: https://archive.ph/AIx73
- 8“Japanese IPCC scientists says global warming ‘worst scientific scandal’,” The Orange County Register, June 18, 2008. Archived September 1, 2014. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/o1Qlm
- 9(Press Release). “UN Blowback: More Than 650 International Scientists Dissent Over Man-Made Global Warming Claims,” U.S. Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works, December 10, 2008. Archived March 25, 2009. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/DBWee
- 10“UN Scientists Who Have Turned on UNIPCC Man-Made Climate Fears – A Climate Depot Flashback Report,” Climate Depot, August 21, 2013. Archived November 25, 2019. Archive URL:https://archive.ph/UkhSq
- 11“UN Scientists Who Have Turned on UNIPCC Man-Made Climate Fears – A Climate Depot Flashback Report,” Climate Depot, August 21, 2013. Archived November 25, 2019. Archive URL:https://archive.ph/UkhSq
- 12“Guest Weblog By Dr. Kiminori Itoh Of Yokohama National University,” Climate Science: Roger Pielke Sr. Research Group News, June 17, 2008. Archived Feb 15, 2009.
- 13“With all due respect Mr. President, that is not true,” Retrieved from the The Cato Institute. Archived June 1, 2010. Archive.fo URL: https://archive.ph/RgEvw
- 14“Heartland Experts: Kiminori Itoh,” The Heartland Institute. Archived July 23, 2012. Archive.fo URL: https://archive.ph/NoJw6
- 15“KIMINORI ITOH,” Heartland Institute. Archived November 23, 2019. Archive.fo URL: https://archive.ph/fhDez
