Nobel laureate in physics says global warming is a “farce“, organized by organizations such as the United Nations, the World Economic Forum and leaders of the Catholic Church. This caused the biggest controversy in the scientific community. And now what is true?
Global warming is a “hoax”
Renowned physicist John F. Clauser, winner of the 2022 Nobel Prize in Physics, found himself at the center of a controversy when he stated during a conference sponsored by the Deposit of Faith Coalition: “There is no climate crisis“. Despite his pioneering achievements in light particle experiments in the 1970s, Clauser surprised the scientific community by vehemently denying the scientific consensus on global warming.
Nobel laureates will meet on December 9, 2022 for a televised discussion entitled “Nobel Minds.” From left to right: Ben S. Bernanke, Douglas W. Diamond, K. Barry Sharpless, Morten Meldal, Carolyn R. Bertozzi, Svante Pääbo, Anton Zeilinger, John F. Clauser and Alain Aspect. © Nobel Prize Outreach.
The event, which included Clauser and other speakers, denounced climate change as a hoax carried out by “global cabal“, which involves bodies such as the United Nations, the World Economic Forum and leaders of the Catholic Church. In his speech, Clauser stated that global warming is a “farce“, which contradicts the conclusions of most climate experts.
On stage, Clauser presented his theory, claiming that Earth’s temperature is primarily determined by cloud cover, rather than carbon dioxide emissions from burning fossil fuels. For him, clouds overall have a cooling effect on the planet and deny the existence of a climate crisis.
Controversy in the scientific community
This change in stance by Clauser, who has never published peerreviewed papers on climate change, has sparked concern among leading climate scientists. Many have expressed concerns that his stance, based on his scientific stature, could lead to misinformation about a global emergency.
In response to the criticism, Clauser defended his approach and emphasized that skepticism is part of the scientific process. “There was an overwhelming consensus that what I was doing was useless“ in the 1970s, he said in an interview after the conference. He explained that it took 50 years for his work to be recognized, citing the dynamics of changing opinions over time.
The event was organized by the Deposit of Faith Coalition, a group of more than a dozen Catholic organizations, and aimed to expose and criticize supposedly antireligious and antifamily agendas related to climate change. Although Clauser was an atheist, he was chosen as the keynote speaker.
Reactions and counterpoints
Experts reacted strongly to Clauser’s claims. Michael Mann, a climate researcher at the University of Pennsylvania, called his arguments “pure garbage” It is “Pseudoscience“. Andrew Dessler, a professor of atmospheric sciences at Texas A&M University, reiterated that clouds actually increase the greenhouse effect and contribute to global warming.
Anton Zeilinger, an Austrian physicist who shared the Nobel Prize with Clauser last year, expressed respect for Clauser’s scientific rigor but stressed that he is not an expert in climate science.
In 1972, Clauser conducted groundbreaking experiments on quantum entanglement, a process in which two or more particles are connected in such a way that any change in one of them triggers a simultaneous change in the other, even if they are far apart. These experiments confirmed a phenomenon that Albert Einstein called “scary action from a distance“. In addition, they paved the way for technologies such as quantum computers, capable of solving problems too complex for classical computers.
“When Einstein put forward his ideas, he was considered crazy and an outsidersaid Zeilinger, emeritus professor of physics at the University of Vienna. “This happened in science when the majority was completely wrong. I don’t know if that’s the case here, but science should still be up for debate.“
Clauser, who does not receive funding from oil, gas and coal interests, recently joined the board of the CO2 Coalition, a group that argues that carbon dioxide is good for the planet. His statements contradict prevailing scientific understanding and highlight ongoing climate skepticism in some quarters, even in the face of global consensus on climate change.
About John F. Clauser
The physics laureates Alain Aspect, John F. Clauser and Anton Zeilinger at the Nobel Prize ceremony on December 10, 2022. © Nobel Prize Outreach. Photo: Clement Morin.
- Nobel Prize in Physics 2022
- Born: December 1, 1942, Pasadena, California, USA
- Affiliation at the time of award: JF Clauser & Assoc., Walnut Creek, CA, USA
- Prize motivation: “for experiments with entangled photons, proof of the violation of Bell’s inequalities and pioneering work in the science of quantum information”
Work
One of the most remarkable features of quantum mechanics is that it allows the existence of two or more particles in a socalled entangled state. What happens to one of the particles in an entangled pair determines what happens to the other particle, even if they are far apart. In 1972, John Clauser conducted groundbreaking experiments with entangled light particles called photons. These and other experiments confirm the correctness of quantum mechanics and pave the way for quantum computers, quantum networks and encrypted quantum communications.
AGRONEWS®, with information from The Washington Post.