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Since I’ve been getting questions about my retirement plans, I decided it’s time to address what I know so far.
John Christy will be retiring from UAH July 2026. Because my funding has been tied to his projects (including the Alabama Office of the State Climatologist, which he heads), there is a good chance I will also be retiring on or before that date.
The main issue with me continuing employment past his retirement date is the lack of funding from the federal government. We had a Department of Energy contract, but it is ending and we have very few friends in Washington since we remain on the “wrong side” of the science. The peer review process (which determines what proposals the government will fund) has been stacked against us for many years making it almost impossible to get funded to investigate the issues we believe are important to the climate debate.
It’s a little ironic that even though both John and I are “lukewarmers” that’s just not alarmist enough for us to be allowed to play in the climate sandbox with the big dogs (sorry for the mixed metaphor).
John and I still need to discuss how to keep the monthly satellite temperature updates going (if possible). There are three of us contributing to this effort. Danny Braswell (retired from UAH, but working part time) has been trying to get the newer ATMS instruments folded into our processing, but downloading the historical data is taking forever due to NOAA limitations on the number of files that can be requested on a daily basis. Also, much of the software had to be re-written to handle the differences between the AMSU and ATMS instruments scan geometries. John Christy is a good planner, and I’m hopeful we can work out something to keep the global temperature updates going, keeping in mind none of us is getting any younger.
On that subject, I am often asked if there are new, young researchers who can take our place. The problem is that their careers depend upon getting those same federal contracts we depended upon. Unfortunately, any projects that smell like climate skepticism are generally not funded, and young researchers will likely hurt their careers if they are considered to be replacements for John or me.
It has been many years since we received funding specifically to support the global temperature monitoring effort. The Remote Sensing Systems satellite temperature monitoring effort has much more funding success due to (in my opinion) Frank Wentz’s long-term, close friendship with one of NASA’s top managers. It helps to have friends in high places.
I will keep everyone updated as I learn more. Personally, I would like to continue the work I have started (especially the urban heat island work) if possible. Staying working, even part-time, helps keep me sane… I need to keep my mind active.
But advancing any science that doesn’t support global warming being a “crisis” remains an uphill battle. Several months before his death, Rush Limbaugh told me he thought we were losing that battle. But I’m willing to continue to fight it, anyway. I’m old enough to remember when the Soviet Union was believed to be an ever-present danger to the world that would never end, and yet it imploded. Maybe one day climate alarmism will suffer the same fate.
? “limitations on the number of files that can be requested on a daily basis.”
Can mere civilians request the files on your/others behalf? E.g. could I request the file and copy it to a publicly available S3 bucket (which I’d be happy to fund)?
FWIW, I’m just a recently retired wall street IT guy, can help with things like S3, python, javascript, R, etc, etc.
*** We are talking tens of thousands of files and hundreds of GB of data. -Roy
Your work is important ammunition in a critical war. Retiring from a war when your country is at stake is not a practical option.
Many thanks for your years of service!
Dear All, especially Dr. Spencer,
Long since I understood that many conservatives/Constitutionalists, are fighting a holding action.
The issue is more that I will address here, but Dr. Spencer alludes to it and has been in the forefront of that holding action.
All here, I am sure, appreciate what Dr. Spencer has done and does.
I ask this: are any of the conservative think tanks interested in funding or helping fund your work?
At this point I only come here occasionally to see that the global temperature hasn’t started down (which is my great concern) and to read many of the remarks of those who know science better than I do.
In all,
thank you for your work,
best wishes in your next venture.
Lewis Guignard
Union Grove, NC
Yes, we can hope for climate alarmist to fail!
Congratulations on you and John’s up coming retirement.
It’s great!
I should think that Elon Musk would look favorably on your research…and have $$$ to invest…who knows someone who knows him?
ELon might because of his interest in free speech, but also remember he has a significant financial interest because of Tesla.
It is also quite common for researchers approacing retirement age to lose grant funding. It might be age discrimination, but it’s the way it is.
Probably some truth to that.
“lack of funding from the federal government”
However .. I think there is a good case to be made to President Donald Trump to fund programs that are contrary to the current agenda when he takes office Jan 20, 2025.
I have a suggestion: Elon Musk
Since he is the only one who can send people to the space station and get them back safely, he has influence. Even better, as a strong advocate of open-source and free speech, he could fund the program himself, either by a grant to UAH, or by establishing a private research company.
That thought came to me as well
Elon is putting his money in utility-scale
battery storage.
Dr. Spencer, I strongly urge you to contact the Trump election campaign managers and put your name in the hat for the next Administrator of the EPA when the new administration takes over in January. You should also request that Tony Heller be appointed to an EPA position also. You might be the only people who can get that rogue agency under control and reduce its malign influence on America to some sort of reasonable degree. Please consider this idea, it could be a huge benefit to the entire country.
Thank you for all you do and have done over the years!
Mike Burcke
Oklahoma City
Three separate groups wanted to put my name forward last time Trump was in office… but then it was as his science advisor. At this point in my life, I don’t have that option… family health concerns, etc. I cannot move to D.C. Besides, there would be so much liberal outrage over appointing someone like me in any position like that I would become a distraction, and Trump would have to replace me, anyway. Just the way it is.
My advice is to simply continue as a self-funded scientist.
As a retiree I have benefitted greatly from a long, well-paid career. I now regard myself as a “gentleman-scientist” similar to the great scientists of old such as Newton (similar in social and economic position, not in ability!).
It does not cost that much to access data, run excel, subscribe to journals, pay publication fees (and troll here on your site! – great fun). Think of it as an expensive hobby.
Science has a bad habit of being true whether you believe in it or not.
In Northern Ireland we once had a minister who
a) denied evolution.
b) had to coordinate the health response to evolving strains of MRSA.
It did not go well.
You had a recent example of the consequences of a mismatch between belief and reality. Donald Trump’s inability to comprehend Epidemiology 101 left the USA with one of the highest COVID death rates in the Western world.
I think there was a guy named Fauci who was leading the public health policy. You may have heard of him.
On the administrative side, There were several good initiatives. For example, vaccine fast track funding was approved (Kamala Harris said she would not take Trump’s vaccine), the USA industrial base put into service on many fronts, and pressure was put on 3M not to honor the excessive orders for N95 masks from Communist China. For those who do not know, one of the first things the Chinese did when they realized there was a problem was to buy every mask, gown, and medical supply of many kinds, well in excess of there own needs. Nice guys! It seems they do understand some aspects of Capitalism.
https://www.drroyspencer.com/2024/10/as-retirement-approaches/#comment-1693687
I was a hospital technician for a while and I did Epidemiology 101. I followed the covid pandemic with professional interest.
Both in the UK and the US the health professionals recommended policies such as masks, lockdown and vaccination which minimised deaths. The Right governments wanted to keep the economy running and accept the extra deaths.
In the end, both countries compromised. The UK might have lost 500,000 but managed to lose 140,000. IIRC the US might have lost 2.5 million and managed to lose 1.2 million.
Tim faults China for its China First policy?
Got it.
Nate is wrong again, and that lends more credibility to my thoughtful comments. I fault China for being a Communist dictatorship that does much evil in the world. They are a police state that monitors the movement and activity of its own communist subjects. The people have zero human rights, and can be jailed for no reason. When the communists want to punish someone they “disappear” from family and friends. Their own family does not know where they are. China is funding a massive military expansion and have an expressed goal to remove the freedoms and civil rights of the people of Taiwan.
Why would you defend any of this?
FYI for point missers…why is.Tim is a defender of ‘America First’ policies?
“fault China for being a Communist…”
Looks like economic literacy is in decline.
Or is he just choosing from the Trump list of random pejoratives?
It is not clear what Nate is doing here, but he seems very confused. There is a romanticized concept among radical left-wing liberals that Communist China is engaged in a friendly competition with western democracy. Just ignore the military buildup and the open threats against Taiwan. Let the best system win!
The problem is that China’s concept of “reunification” with Taiwan involves removing their democratic freedoms and putting the people into the Communist police state. Hong Kong is the perfect example of how that is done.
I will fully disclose that I have a very strong bias here. I have spent enough time in Taiwan to get a good understanding of the history, culture, and future aspirations of the people. In one sense, these are the real Chinese people.
They are proud of their Chinese heritage and that is the problem for the mainland. After centuries of imperial rule and a civil war against Communism on the mainland, the Nationalist movement has eventually become modern day Taiwan which is a fully functioning Capitalist Democracy. That is the threat to President Xi. It turns out that these Chinese people really like having their freedom and fully reject the police state on the mainland.
Some people work hard to miss the point.
No one here is trying to let China off the hook for their bad behaviors.
So, since Trump seems willing to let Russia have their way with Ukraine, will China feel more empowered to invade Taiwan under Trump?
Seems like a reasonable interpretation of America First to expect that we won’t rush to the defense of Taiwan.
It still is not clear what Nate is up to here. No rational person ever posts Democrat Talking Points while attempting to seem intelligent, so there must be some other explanation.
Tim you obviously have no answer for a legitimate question. Throwing up chaff.
And you still seem confused about economics.
As a regular reader of your blog site, I hope you will continue to publish data that illuminates the arguments of climate science. I am better informed because of your efforts. People need to be armed with truth to resist government propaganda.
try go fund me.
Funny how that works:
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c33vjjg8k3yo
Since then this has been confirmed.
Not that Elon’s fans are sticklers to the law:
https://www.thenation.com/article/politics/elon-musk-is-committing-a-crime/
But China. But China. But China.
It would be a pity if the UAH satellite temp record and the analysis that goes with it were to end. Different data streams and analysis on the same subject provide checks on the other.
Good luck, Roy.
Thanks Roy for all you have done in the pursuit of sanity in the field of meteorology. Congrats on your retirement. Enjoy this time.
Roy…re your career…
“It is a far, far better thing that I do, than I have ever done; it is a far, far better rest that I go to than I have ever known”.
One interpretation…”The quote conveys the idea that the actions one takes for the benefit of others can bring a sense of fulfillment and accomplishment that surpasses any personal achievements or past experiences”.
BTW…the quote is from Dickens in a Tale of Two Cities.
Thanks for ALL you’ve done, Roy. Much appreciated.
From England.
This fight has been lost , fund an enjoyable hobby and forget about it
UAH temperature data is the only source not tainted by uncertain heat island effects.
Further research has revealed that the measured extra water vapor, above that resulting from just planet warming (which also accounts for any feedback effect), is a result of tiny increase in residence time of water vapor. The average residence time each year (between 10 and 11 days) is only about 12 minutes longer than the average residence time in the previous year. Water vapor from increased evaporation from increasing irrigation in areas of low precipitation must travel to areas of higher precipitation. The increase in average residence time probably results because of the increased average travel time. Detailed calculations are at Sect 12 of the analysis at (click my name).
Musk has gone all-in on electrical vehicles, so he has a vested interest in the scientific reality. Even, dare I say, in the notion that there is a crisis. It all helps drive electrification. I don’t see him as a useful member of the Axis.
It would be a real shame if this series were discontinued. I don’t see it as especially useful to science-denial, it’s just a temperature series and it shows what you’d expect – relentless warming. I hope Dr. Roy finds a way to keep it alive. Either way, enjoy your retirement. I’ll probably be a few years behind you.
Thanks for what you have done in an enviroment warned by Ike.
Akin to, and largely responsible for the sweeping changes in our industrial-military posture, has been the technological revolution during recent decades. In this revolution, research has become central; it also becomes more formalized, complex, and costly. A steadily increasing share is conducted for, by, or at the direction of, the Federal government. Yet, in holding scientific research and discovery in respect, as we should, we must also be alert to the equal and opposite danger that public policy could itself become the captive of a scientific-technological elite.
Dwight Eisenhower
I will be very sad if it comes to an end.
It’s one of the few sites that publishes data rather than opinion and interpretation of data.
THE DETAILS OF THE ADVENTURE DISCOVERED IN THE ARCHIVES OF LA MANCHA
tim s…”The problem is that Chinas concept of reunification with Taiwan involves removing their democratic freedoms and putting the people into the Communist police state. Hong Kong is the perfect example of how that is done”.
***
It’s a lot more complicated. Taiwan is the island commandeered by Chiang Kai Shek when he was driven from mainland China by Mao’s forces in the late 1940s. Chiang was the brutal head of the Kuomintang, a Gestapo-like police outfit that ruled China before Mao. I hardly think Taiwan became more Democratic under the guidance of Chiang and why the US propped up this dictator is yet another peculiarity re who the US chooses to support.
The fact that China did not take Hong Kong back long ago is interesting. Perhaps it had something to do with the West developing nuclear weapons in the 40s and 50s had something to do with it.
I am by no means defending China, I think they need to come into the 21st century and get off their historical need for authority states. However, I don’t think Taiwan is any better. I don’t think we have any business in that part of the world. We have already stuck our noses into Vietnam and Korea, both with questionable results.
The hysteria over a crisis is a danger. If one believes we are headed into catastrophic times, and that we can reverse it, then to what end would you be willing to go to stifle the opposing views? I imagine there would be no limits. The French Revolution would be a picket line compared to what true believers would do in modern times.
David….good point. Ask Roy or his colleagues like John Christy or Richard Lindzen how hard it is for them to publish papers in journals compared to the ‘believers’ (aka climate alarmists).
That is a problem across the board in science for anyone in modern science who goes against the status quo. Skepticism is being systematically stifled while those who go along with the propaganda are rewarded.
He tried to warn us of the Military Induatrial Complex too.
In this revolution, research has become central; it also becomes more formalized, complex, and costly. A steadily increasing share is conducted for, by, or at the direction of, the Federal government.
Today, the solitary inventor, tinkering in his shop, has been overshadowed by task forces of scientists in laboratories and testing fields. In the same fashion, the free university, historically the fountainhead of free ideas and sacentardincovery, how undience of a evolecir ni he pudur of research. Parly because of the huge costs involved, a government contract becomes virtually a substitute for intellectual curiosity.
The prospect of domination of the nation’s scholars by Federal employment, project allocations, and the power of money is ever present captive of a scientifictechnological elite.
and is gravely to be regarded. Yet, in holding scientific research and discovery in respect, as we should, we must also be alert to the equal and opposite danger that public policy could itself become the captive of a scientifictechnological elite.