Indur M. Goklany

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Indur M. Goklany
EducationB.Tech. (1968), M.S. (1969), PhD (1973)
Alma materIndian Institutes of Technology, Michigan State University
OccupationScience and technology policy analyst
EmployerUnited States Department of the Interior
Notable work
The Improving State of the World
Websitegoklany.org

Indur M. Goklany is a science and technology policy analyst for the United States Department of the Interior, where he holds the position of Assistant Director of Programs, Science and Technology Policy.[1]

He has represented[when?] the United States at the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) and during the negotiations that led to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change.[2] He was a rapporteur for the Resource Use and Management Subgroup of Working Group III of the IPCC First Assessment Report in 1990,[3] and is the author of Clearing the Air (1999), The Precautionary Principle (2001), and The Improving State of the World (2007).

Education[]

Goklany has a B. Tech degree in electrical engineering from the Indian Institutes of Technology and M.S. and Ph.D. degrees, also in electrical engineering, from Michigan State University.[2]

Views on climate change[]

Further information: Effects of global warming and Economics of climate change mitigation

In 2017 Goklany was promoted to the position of Assistant Director of Programs, Science and Technology Policy at the Department of the Interior. In that role he was responsible for reviewing climate policies. He has repeatedly inserted climate change denial language into DOI’s scientific reports, which are used to make decisions on matters like water and mineral rights. The wording includes claims that there is a lack of consensus for global warming among scientists and that increased atmospheric carbon dioxide is beneficial.[4]

Goklany has spoken against the use of biofuels and ethanol, as he believes it drives the price of food beyond the reach of the poor. In an op-ed for The New York Times, he wrote, "Ironically, much of the hysteria over global warming is itself fueled by concerns that it may drive numerous species to extinction and increase hunger worldwide, especially in developing countries. Yet the biofuel solution would only make bad matters worse on both counts".[5]

He took part in the making of Policy Peril: Why Global Warming Policies are More Dangerous than Global Warming Itself, a film created by the Competitive Enterprise Institute, a right-wing think tank engaged in manufacturing climate change denialism.[6] In addition, he has written papers for the Heartland Institute.[7]

He has also been critical of the World Wide Fund for Nature and the United Nations Population Fund over their stance on population growth saying, "For many groups like the Worldwide Fund for Nature (WWF), World Population Day, which fell on July 11, is another chance to bemoan 'the relentless growth in human population,' while the United Nations Population Fund says 'stabilizing population would help sustain the planet.' The problem, however, is not population but poverty."[8]

Works[]

Books
  • Goklany, Indur M. (2006). The Improving State of the World: Why We're Living Longer, Healthier, More Comfortable Lives on a Cleaner Planet. The Cato Institute. ISBN 978-1-930865-98-3.
  • Goklany, Indur M. (November 2002). The Precautionary Principle: A Critical Appraisal of Environmental Risk. The Cato Institute. ISBN 978-1-930865-16-7.
  • Goklany, Indur M. (November 26, 1999). Clearing the Air: The Real Story of the War on Air Pollution. The Cato Institute. ISBN 978-1-882577-83-5.
Papers

See also[]

References[]

  1. ^ "Staff Directory". Department of the Interior. Archived from the original on October 19, 2011. Retrieved May 23, 2010.
  2. ^ Jump up to: a b "Indur M. Goklany". World Economic Journal. Retrieved May 23, 2010.
  3. ^ Climate change: the IPCC response strategies (PDF). Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. 1991. p. 204. ISBN 978-1-55963-103-7.
  4. ^ Tabuchi, Hiroko (March 2, 2020). "A Trump Insider Embeds Climate Denial in Scientific Research". The New York Times. Retrieved March 7, 2020.
  5. ^ Goklany, Indur M. (April 23, 2007). "Unintended consequences". The New York Times. Retrieved May 23, 2010.
  6. ^ Brickley, Adam (August 17, 2009). "New Movie Seeks to Refute Gore's 'Inconvenient Truth'". CNS News. p. 1. Archived from the original on May 27, 2010. Retrieved May 23, 2010.
  7. ^ "Who We Are: Indur Goklany". The Heartland Institute. Retrieved March 4, 2020.
  8. ^ Goklany, Indur M. (July 15, 2009). "Apocalypse When?". The Korea Times. Retrieved May 23, 2010.
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