Albert F. Jacobs (Deceased)
Credentials
- P. Geol. University of Amsterdam (1954)1“If Kyoto is so Flawed, Why do so Many Scientists and Politicians Support it?” (PDF), National Citizens Coalition, July 2007. Republished by Friends of Science.
- M.Sc.2“If Kyoto is so Flawed, Why do so Many Scientists and Politicians Support it?” (PDF), National Citizens Coalition, July 2007. Republished by Friends of Science.
Background
Albert F. Jacobs was a Geologist and a retired oil-explorations manager. His was also the co-founder, spokesperson, and former director of the Friends of Science (FoS) organization. Jacobs passed away on February 12, 2020.3“In the beginning: Friends of Science, Talisman Energy and the de Freitas brothers,” Deep Climate, December 2, 2009. 4“OBITUARY OF ALBERT FREDERIK JACOBS,” McInnis & Holloway Funeral Services. Archived June 16, 2021. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/M3L5J
Jacobs began working in the Canadian oil patch after immigrating in 1955. He worked as a geologist at Fina, Tenneco, Aquitaine, and Canterra before retiring in 1983.5“OBITUARY OF ALBERT FREDERIK JACOBS,” McInnis & Holloway Funeral Services. Archived June 16, 2021. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/M3L5J
Stance on Climate Change
2006
“[T]o this day, there is no scientific proof that human-caused C02 is the main cause of global warming.”6Charles Montgomery. “Mr. Cool,” Globe and Mail, August 12, 2006. Republished at charlesmontgomery.ca. Accessed January 18, 2016.
Key Quotes
2007
“It should be realized that ‘human-caused global warming’ is a dogma that underlies ‘Kyoto’. It has never been proven.”7“If Kyoto is so Flawed, Why do so Many Scientists and Politicians Support it?” (PDF), National Citizens Coalition, July 2007. Republished by Friends of Science.
Key Deeds
February 4, 2018
In January 2018, more than 200 scientists endorsed an open letter calling on the American Museum of Natural History (AMNH) to remove climate change denier Rebekah Mercer from its board and to “end ties to anti-science propagandists and funders of climate science misinformation.” The New York Times reported that those among the AMNH letter calling for Mercer to step down were Michael E. Mann, director of the Earth System Science Center at Pennsylvania State University, and Katharine Hayhoe, director of the Climate Science Center at Texas Tech University.8Robin Pogrebin and Somini Sengupta. “A Science Denier at the Natural History Museum? Scientists Rebel,” The New York Times, January 25, 2018. Archived February 13, 2018. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/tAIv4
Jacobs was among a group of climate change deniers who responded with their own open letter, calling for the AMNH “not to cave in to this pressure.” The letter was signed by numerous individuals with ties to groups funded by the Mercer Family Foundation such as Will Happer of the CO2 CoalitionRichard Lindzen, a fellow at the Cato InstituteCraig Idso, the chairman of the Center for the Study of Carbon Dioxide and Global Change. There are a number of signatories affiliated with the Heartland Institute, which has received over $5.78 million from the Mercer Family Foundation since 2008.9Graham Readfearn. “Climate Science Deniers Defend New York’s American Museum of Natural History From Calls to Drop Trustee Rebekah Mercer,” DeSmog, February 6, 2018.
The letter reads:10mnh18-feb4-petitionletter (PDF – Untitled). Retrieved from Watts Up With That.
“The Earth has supported abundant life many times in the geological past when there were much higher levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. It is quite likely that future generations will benefit from the enrichment of Earth’s atmosphere with more carbon dioxide.
“Make no mistake, the agitators are not defending science from quackery — quite the contrary!”
February 23, 2017
Albert F. Jacobs 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).11“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.12“PETITION” (PDF), February 23, 2017. Richard Lindzen. PDF Archived at DeSmog.
Media outlets including Fox News, The Hill, and the Daily Caller reported on the list, describing signatories as “eminent scientists” and “qualified individuals.”13Valerie Richardson. “Hundreds of Scientists Urge Trump to Withdraw from U.N. Climate-Change Agency,” The Washington Times, February 23, 2017. Republished by Fox News. Archived March 6, 2017. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/dlFj3 14Timothy Cama. “Climate skeptics ask Trump to withdraw from UN agency,“ The Hill, February 23, 2017. Archived March 6, 2017. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/dlFj3 15Michael Bastasch. “Hundreds Of Scientists Urge Trump To Pull Out Of A 25-Year-Old UN Environmental Treaty,” The Daily Caller, February 23, 2017. Archived March 6, 2017. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/Lg3U5
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.16Graham 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.
January 2009
Jacobs wrote a complaint (PDF) to the CBC regarding their broadcast of “An Inconvenient Truth,” describing it as a “propaganda video.”
March 2008
Listed as an endorser of the Manhattan Declaration on Climate Change.17“QUALIFIED ENDORSERS NOT AT CONFERENCE,” International Climate Science Coalition. Accessed January, 2012.
The declaration suggests that no action should be taken to curb climate change and that “human-caused climate change is not a global crisis.”
January 2003
Helped draft the global warming policy statement for the Canadian Society of Petroleum Geologists (CSPG). The statement asserted that:18“CSPG BACKGROUNDER TO GLOBAL CLIMATE CHANGE” (PDF), friendsofginandtonic.org.
1. Global climate change is constant throughout history.
2. Humans have contributed CO2, but there is no correlation between global temperatures and atmospheric CO2.
3. Global warming temperature models are flawed.
4. Climate change is natural.
The statement referenced skeptical scientists including Sallie Baliunas, John Daly, and Chris de Freitas.
Affiliations
- Friends of Science (FoS) — Past director, and co-founder.19“If Kyoto is so Flawed, Why do so Many Scientists and Politicians Support it?” (PDF), National Citizens Coalition, July 2007. Republished by Friends of Science. 20“In the beginning: Friends of Science, Talisman Energy and the de Freitas brothers,” Deep Climate, December 2, 2009.
- Canadian Society of Petroleum Geologists — Former business manager.21“OBITUARY OF ALBERT FREDERIK JACOBS,” McInnis & Holloway Funeral Services. Archived June 16, 2021. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/M3L5J
Publications
- Albert F. Jacobs and Gerrit van der Lingen, “The Dutch and the Sea Level Rise” (PDF), De Krant, February 2011. Republished by the Friends of Science.
This article argues that global warming has no affect on sea levels, and that estimates by the UN IPCC on rising sea levels were “uncertain and politically motivated projections” as well as “unnecessarily alarming.”
- “If Kyoto is so Flawed, Why do so Many Scientists and Politicians Support it?” (PDF). National Citizens Coalition, July 2007. Republished by Friends of Science.
Other Resources
Resources
- 1“If Kyoto is so Flawed, Why do so Many Scientists and Politicians Support it?” (PDF), National Citizens Coalition, July 2007. Republished by Friends of Science.
- 2“If Kyoto is so Flawed, Why do so Many Scientists and Politicians Support it?” (PDF), National Citizens Coalition, July 2007. Republished by Friends of Science.
- 3“In the beginning: Friends of Science, Talisman Energy and the de Freitas brothers,” Deep Climate, December 2, 2009.
- 4“OBITUARY OF ALBERT FREDERIK JACOBS,” McInnis & Holloway Funeral Services. Archived June 16, 2021. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/M3L5J
- 5“OBITUARY OF ALBERT FREDERIK JACOBS,” McInnis & Holloway Funeral Services. Archived June 16, 2021. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/M3L5J
- 6Charles Montgomery. “Mr. Cool,” Globe and Mail, August 12, 2006. Republished at charlesmontgomery.ca. Accessed January 18, 2016.
- 7“If Kyoto is so Flawed, Why do so Many Scientists and Politicians Support it?” (PDF), National Citizens Coalition, July 2007. Republished by Friends of Science.
- 8Robin Pogrebin and Somini Sengupta. “A Science Denier at the Natural History Museum? Scientists Rebel,” The New York Times, January 25, 2018. Archived February 13, 2018. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/tAIv4
- 9Graham Readfearn. “Climate Science Deniers Defend New York’s American Museum of Natural History From Calls to Drop Trustee Rebekah Mercer,” DeSmog, February 6, 2018.
- 10mnh18-feb4-petitionletter (PDF – Untitled). Retrieved from Watts Up With That.
- 11“PETITION” (PDF), February 23, 2017. Richard Lindzen. PDF Archived at DeSmog.
- 12“PETITION” (PDF), February 23, 2017. Richard Lindzen. PDF Archived at DeSmog.
- 13Valerie Richardson. “Hundreds of Scientists Urge Trump to Withdraw from U.N. Climate-Change Agency,” The Washington Times, February 23, 2017. Republished by Fox News. Archived March 6, 2017. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/dlFj3
- 14Timothy Cama. “Climate skeptics ask Trump to withdraw from UN agency,“ The Hill, February 23, 2017. Archived March 6, 2017. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/dlFj3
- 15Michael Bastasch. “Hundreds Of Scientists Urge Trump To Pull Out Of A 25-Year-Old UN Environmental Treaty,” The Daily Caller, February 23, 2017. Archived March 6, 2017. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/Lg3U5
- 16Graham 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.
- 17“QUALIFIED ENDORSERS NOT AT CONFERENCE,” International Climate Science Coalition. Accessed January, 2012.
- 18“CSPG BACKGROUNDER TO GLOBAL CLIMATE CHANGE” (PDF), friendsofginandtonic.org.
- 19“If Kyoto is so Flawed, Why do so Many Scientists and Politicians Support it?” (PDF), National Citizens Coalition, July 2007. Republished by Friends of Science.
- 20“In the beginning: Friends of Science, Talisman Energy and the de Freitas brothers,” Deep Climate, December 2, 2009.
- 21“OBITUARY OF ALBERT FREDERIK JACOBS,” McInnis & Holloway Funeral Services. Archived June 16, 2021. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/M3L5J
