James A. Wanliss

Credentials

• Ph.D., Physics, University of Alberta.¹“James A. Wanliss, Associate Professor,” Presbyterian College. Accessed February, 2012.
• M.Sc., Exploration Geophysics, Witwatersrand University (1995).²“James A. Wanliss, Associate Professor,” Presbyterian College. Accessed February, 2012.
• B.Sc. (Hons.), Physics. University of Cape Town (1992).³“James A. Wanliss, Associate Professor,” Presbyterian College. Accessed February, 2012.
• B.Sc. (Hons.), Physics and Applied Mathematics, University of Cape Town (1991).⁴“James A. Wanliss, Associate Professor,” Presbyterian College. Accessed February, 2012.

Background

James A. Wanliss is an associate professor of Physics and Computer Science at Presbyterian College. His main areas of research are physics and space weather.

Wanliss says that he entered the environmental debate after teaching a course that “examined scientifically several prominent claims of the green movement that proved to be either false or highly exaggerated.”⁵“Background Information,” Wanliss dot Com. Accessed February, 2012.

He contends that “the green movement is not about science, or the environment, but is offered as an alternative to Christian faith, one that people interested in truth need to learn to combat.”

Wanliss is the author of The Green Dragon: Is Global Warming a Religion which portrays environmentalists as a “pagan world order.” His book is published by the Cornwall Alliance for the Stewardship of Creation.

Stance on Climate Change

“While evidence seems to indicate that we have been warming up nicely for the past several hundred years, at present we may be in a slight cooling trend. There has been no global warming for almost 15 years.”⁶“Does the Planet Really Have a Fever?”, Wanliss dot Com, March 10, 2011.

Key Quotes

January 31, 2018

Wanliss praised President Donald Trump‘s State of the Union Address in a statement at the Heartland Institute:⁷“PRESS RELEASE: HEARTLAND INSTITUTE EXPERTS REACT TO PRESIDENT TRUMP’S STATE OF THE UNION ADDRESS,” The Heartland Institute, January 31, 2018. Archived February 5, 2018. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/FeswS

“For decades, conventional wisdom has been that America was in a state of decline. This drumbeat, repeated relentlessly, held that raw-material scarcity and resource consumption would doom America. Costs would inexorably rise and resources would become more scarce. Indeed costs did rise. But the truth is that the political class made it so. President Obama famously sought to reduce American access to natural resources, to massively raise gasoline prices and thereby reduce its use. Last night President Trump highlighted the folly of such thinking. One year of change has brought not only lower gas prices, but the president noted that the United States is now a net exporter of energy. Decades of poor policy tied up the American economic engine in reams of red tape. President Trump highlighted his efforts to free the people and unlock America’s awesome energy potential. The ultimate resource is a free people and we, the people, like it.”⁸“PRESS RELEASE: HEARTLAND INSTITUTE EXPERTS REACT TO PRESIDENT TRUMP’S STATE OF THE UNION ADDRESS,” The Heartland Institute, January 31, 2018. Archived February 5, 2018. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/FeswS

July 2016

“Al Gore is a prime example of the danger of seeking religious purpose in life through political interests and activism. Today, his declared central organizing life-principle is salvation of the environment. Yet for most of his life he was a member in good standing of the 16 million-member Southern Baptist Convention.”⁹James Wanliss. “The Church of Global Warming,” Christian Post, July 5, 2016. Archived July 14, 2016. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog.

February 2012

“Around the world, environmentalism has become an unbalanced, radical movement. Something we call ‘The Green Dragon.’ And it is deadly, deadly to human prosperity, deadly to human life, deadly to human freedom and deadly to the gospel of Jesus Christ. Make no mistake about it, environmentalism is no longer your friend. It is your enemy. And the battle is not primarily political or material, it is spiritual… . As Christians, we must actively trust God and obey His word. So when it comes to environmental stewardship, we must reject the false world view, the faulty science and the counterfeit gospel that threatens to corrupt society and the church.”¹⁰“Orders,” Wanliss dot Com. Accessed February, 2012.

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.¹¹Robin 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

Armstrong 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 2008.¹²Graham 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:¹³mnh18-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

Wanliss 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).¹⁴“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.¹⁵“PETITION” (PDF), February 23, 2017. Richard Lindzen. PDF Archived at DeSmog.

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 5, 2017

James A. Wanliss was a signatory to a Cornwall Alliance open letter supporting Scott Pruitt for EPA Administrator under the Trump administration.¹⁷“Open Letter Supporting Scott Pruitt for EPA Administrator,” Cornwall Alliance, January 5, 2017. Archived January 19, 2017. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/xMash

“Mr. Pruitt has also demonstrated understanding of and open-mindedness toward scientific insights crucial to the formulation and implementation of environmental regulation. He is prepared to hear all sides in debates over the risks and benefits of various activities that come under the purview of the EPA,” reads the letter.

On January 12, 2017, Senate Democrats raised conflict of interest concerns regarding Scott Prutt’s fossil fuel ties. Pruitt had spent years working to combat the Obama Administration’s Clean Power Plan.¹⁸Ben Jervey. “Mapping EPA Nominee Scott Pruitt’s Many Fossil Fuel Ties,” DeSmog, January 13, 2017.

In an open letter to the Office of Government Ethics, members of the Senate’s environmental panel commented:

“During his tenure as Attorney General of Oklahoma, Mr. Pruitt has blurred the distinction between official and political actions, often at the behest of corporations he will regulate if confirmed to lead EPA,” the letter said. “Public reporting based on documents produced by Freedom of Information Act requests illustrate how Mr. Pruitt and members of his staff have worked closely with fossil fuel lobbyists to craft his office’s official positions.”

Pruitt was further grilled on his fossil fuel ties at his confirmation hearing on January 18.¹⁹Ben Jervey and Steve Horn. “EPA Nominee Scott Pruitt Gets Grilled on Fossil Fuel Ties at Confirmation Hearing,” DeSmog, January 18, 2017.

Some notable signatories of the Cornwall Alliance letter, as of January 5, 2017, included:

• Tim Ball
• Charles G. Battig
• E. Calvin Beisner
• H. Sterling Burnett
• Kenneth Chilton
• Donn Dears
• John Droz
• James E. Enstrom
• Joseph Farah
• Steve Goreham
• Jay Grimstead
• William Happer
• Richard Land
• David Legates
• Richard S. Lindzen
• Anthony R. Lupo
• Rod D. Martin
• Anthony J. Sadar
• Willie Soon
• Roy W. Spencer
• David J. Theroux
• James A. Wanliss
• Anthony Watts
• Peter W. Wood
• Thomas H. Wysmuller
• Benjamin Zycher

June 10, 2016

James A. Wanliss was a signatory to a Cornwall Alliance open letter written by Calvin Beisner and addressed to U.S. attorneys general about climate change.²⁰E. Calvin Beisner. “Open Letter to Attorneys General about Climate Change,” Cornwall Alliance, June 10, 2016. Archived June 24, 2016. WebCite URL: http://www.webcitation.org/6iVmM7y0O

The letter responds to recent investigations by U.S. Attorney General Loretta Lynch and members of Attorneys General United for Clean Power into what ExxonMobil knew about climate change and when, started by a coalition of attorneys general in the US.²¹David Hasemyer. “Climate Fraud Investigation of Exxon Draws Attention of 17 Attorneys General,” InsideClimate News, March 30, 2016. Archived June 24, 2016. WebCite URL: http://www.webcitation.org/6iVncbdxJ ²²Ben Jervey. “State Investigations Into What Exxon Knew Double, and Exxon Gets Defensive,” Desmog, April 1, 2016.

Calvin Beisner writes that the attorneys generals’ actions are “a dead giveaway that you’re ignorant about climate science and related climate and energy policy.”²³E. Calvin Beisner. “Open Letter to Attorneys General about Climate Change,” Cornwall Alliance, June 10, 2016. Archived June 24, 2016. WebCite URL: http://www.webcitation.org/6iVmM7y0O

“[U]nlike in the case of tobacco’s health risks, there are innumerable and enormous holes in the case (not for human contribution to global warming but) for manmade global warming dangerous enough to justify spending trillions of dollars reinventing the world’s energy system to mitigate it, particularly when competing use of those trillions might bring far greater benefit,” Beisner addresses the attorneys general. And you, intelligent and learned all, are ignorant of those enormous holes.”²⁴E. Calvin Beisner. “Open Letter to Attorneys General about Climate Change,” Cornwall Alliance, June 10, 2016. Archived June 24, 2016. WebCite URL: http://www.webcitation.org/6iVmM7y0O

The Cornwall Alliance lists the following signatories to its open letter:²⁵E. Calvin Beisner. “Open Letter to Attorneys General about Climate Change,” Cornwall Alliance, June 10, 2016. Archived June 24, 2016. WebCite URL: http://www.webcitation.org/6iVmM7y0O

• E. Calvin Beisner
• Charles Clough
• Colonel John A. Eidsmoe
• Christopher Essex
• Neil L. Frank
• Victor Goldschmidt
• Rev. Peter Jones
• Madhav Khandekar
• Jamieson C. Keister
• Kevin Lewis
• Anthony R. Lupo
• Vishal Mangalwadi
• Tracy Miller
• Ben Phillips
• Shawn Ritenour
• Chris Skates
• Roy W. Spencer
• Timothy Terrell
• James Wanliss
• Anthony Watts

2011

James Wanliss’s primary contribution to the skeptical science debate has been his publication of The Green Dragon: Is Global Warming a Religion, published by the Cornwall Alliance for the Stewardship of Creation (and featured on their website).

A review of The Green Dragon by retired chemist J.C. Moore described it as “a book about how environmentalism is committed to ‘the reconstruction of a pagan world order’ and ‘rejection of Christian spirituality. The author argues that the environmental movement ‘is a religion with a vision of sin and repentance, heaven and hell. It even has a special vocabulary, with words like ‘sustainability’ and ‘carbon neutral.’ Its saints are Al Gore and the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’.”²⁶“The Green Dragon : Is Global Warming a Religion?”, J.C. Moore Online, October 30, 2010.

Wanliss responded to the above review, stating that he wrote the book “because I believe it is possible to have a balanced Biblical view of stewardship and conservation to the critical issues of environment and development.”²⁷James Wanliss. “The Green Dragon: Is Global Warming a Religion?, by J.C. Moore,” Wanliss dot Com, January 13, 2011.

This statement is nearly identical to that of the Cornwall Alliance, which proclaims that “The Cornwall Alliance is committed to bringing a proper and balanced biblical view of stewardship to the critical issues of environment and development.”²⁸“About the Cornwall Alliance,” Cornwall Alliance. Accessed February, 2012.

The Cornwall Alliance is also responsible for a video series titled “Resisting the Green Dragon” which similarly demonizes the environmental movement. The series has been critiqued by numerous sources. In January, 2011 the Cornwall Alliance released an accompanying book titled Resisting the Green Dragon: Dominion Not Death which was also written by James Wanliss.

Feb 8, 2011

Signatory to an open letter to the United States Congress titled “The Truth About Climate Change” (PDF) written in opposition to another letter that had encouraged politicians to set aside politics and look at the science of climate change.²⁹“The Truth About Climate Change Open Letter: Open Letter to the United States Congress: 8 February 2011,” February 8, 2011. Republished by c02science.

“The Truth About Climate Change” concludes:

“We believe you will find that it [climate change] is not the horrendous environmental threat they [scientists who signed the previous letter] and others have made it out to be, and that they have consistently exaggerated the negative effects of global warming on the U.S. economy, national security, and public health, when such effects may well be small to negligible.”

Affiliations

• Cornwall Alliance for the Stewardship of Creation — “Senior Fellow.”³⁰James A. Wanliss. “What Can We Learn from the Japan Earthquake?”, Cornwall Alliance for the Stewardship of Creation. Accessed February, 2012.

Social Media

• @wanliss on Twitter.

Publications

According to Wanliss dot Com, Wanliss has published over 48 papers in various areas of space plasma physics, mainly in the Journal of Geophysical Research and Geophysical Research Letters. He has also published in psychology and medical areas, and popular Christian journals.

A search of Google Scholar returns no publications in peer-reviewed journals by James Wanliss on the subject of climate.

His other publications include:

• The Green Dragon: Is Global Warming a Religion?, The Cornwall Alliance.
• Resisting the Green Dragon: Dominion Not Death. January, 2011, The Cornwall Alliance.
• “Post-Normal Science and the Pagan Quest for Power Over Nature—and Mankind.”
• His blog at www.wanliss.com.

Other Resources

Resources

• 1
  “James A. Wanliss, Associate Professor,” Presbyterian College. Accessed February, 2012.
• 2
  “James A. Wanliss, Associate Professor,” Presbyterian College. Accessed February, 2012.
• 3
  “James A. Wanliss, Associate Professor,” Presbyterian College. Accessed February, 2012.
• 4
  “James A. Wanliss, Associate Professor,” Presbyterian College. Accessed February, 2012.
• 5
  “Background Information,” Wanliss dot Com. Accessed February, 2012.
• 6
  “Does the Planet Really Have a Fever?”, Wanliss dot Com, March 10, 2011.
• 7
  “PRESS RELEASE: HEARTLAND INSTITUTE EXPERTS REACT TO PRESIDENT TRUMP’S STATE OF THE UNION ADDRESS,” The Heartland Institute, January 31, 2018. Archived February 5, 2018. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/FeswS
• 8
  “PRESS RELEASE: HEARTLAND INSTITUTE EXPERTS REACT TO PRESIDENT TRUMP’S STATE OF THE UNION ADDRESS,” The Heartland Institute, January 31, 2018. Archived February 5, 2018. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/FeswS
• 9
  James Wanliss. “The Church of Global Warming,” Christian Post, July 5, 2016. Archived July 14, 2016. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog.
• 10
  “Orders,” Wanliss dot Com. Accessed February, 2012.
• 11
  Robin 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
• 12
  Graham Readfearn. “Climate Science Deniers Defend New York’s American Museum of Natural History From Calls to Drop Trustee Rebekah Mercer,” DeSmog, February 6, 2018.
• 13
  mnh18-feb4-petitionletter (PDF – Untitled). Retrieved from Watts Up With That.
• 14
  “PETITION” (PDF), February 23, 2017. Richard Lindzen. PDF Archived at DeSmog.
• 15
  “PETITION” (PDF), February 23, 2017. Richard Lindzen. PDF Archived at DeSmog.
• 16
  Graham 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
  “Open Letter Supporting Scott Pruitt for EPA Administrator,” Cornwall Alliance, January 5, 2017. Archived January 19, 2017. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/xMash
• 18
  Ben Jervey. “Mapping EPA Nominee Scott Pruitt’s Many Fossil Fuel Ties,” DeSmog, January 13, 2017.
• 19
  Ben Jervey and Steve Horn. “EPA Nominee Scott Pruitt Gets Grilled on Fossil Fuel Ties at Confirmation Hearing,” DeSmog, January 18, 2017.
• 20
  E. Calvin Beisner. “Open Letter to Attorneys General about Climate Change,” Cornwall Alliance, June 10, 2016. Archived June 24, 2016. WebCite URL: http://www.webcitation.org/6iVmM7y0O
• 21
  David Hasemyer. “Climate Fraud Investigation of Exxon Draws Attention of 17 Attorneys General,” InsideClimate News, March 30, 2016. Archived June 24, 2016. WebCite URL: http://www.webcitation.org/6iVncbdxJ
• 22
  Ben Jervey. “State Investigations Into What Exxon Knew Double, and Exxon Gets Defensive,” Desmog, April 1, 2016.
• 23
  E. Calvin Beisner. “Open Letter to Attorneys General about Climate Change,” Cornwall Alliance, June 10, 2016. Archived June 24, 2016. WebCite URL: http://www.webcitation.org/6iVmM7y0O
• 24
  E. Calvin Beisner. “Open Letter to Attorneys General about Climate Change,” Cornwall Alliance, June 10, 2016. Archived June 24, 2016. WebCite URL: http://www.webcitation.org/6iVmM7y0O
• 25
  E. Calvin Beisner. “Open Letter to Attorneys General about Climate Change,” Cornwall Alliance, June 10, 2016. Archived June 24, 2016. WebCite URL: http://www.webcitation.org/6iVmM7y0O
• 26
  “The Green Dragon : Is Global Warming a Religion?”, J.C. Moore Online, October 30, 2010.
• 27
  James Wanliss. “The Green Dragon: Is Global Warming a Religion?, by J.C. Moore,” Wanliss dot Com, January 13, 2011.
• 28
  “About the Cornwall Alliance,” Cornwall Alliance. Accessed February, 2012.
• 29
  “The Truth About Climate Change Open Letter: Open Letter to the United States Congress: 8 February 2011,” February 8, 2011. Republished by c02science.
• 30
  James A. Wanliss. “What Can We Learn from the Japan Earthquake?”, Cornwall Alliance for the Stewardship of Creation. Accessed February, 2012.