Robert C. Balling

Dr Robert C. Balling, Jr is director of the Office of Climatology at Arizona State University, and a prominent climate change skeptic.

Global Warming Skeptic
Between December 1998 and September 2001 Balling was listed as a "Scientific Adviser" to the Greening Earth Society, a group that was funded and controlled by the Western Fuels Association (WFA), an association of coal-burning utility companies. WFA founded the group in 1997, according to an archived version of its website, "as a vehicle for advocacy on climate change, the environmental impact of CO2, and fossil fuel use."

Balling has acknowledged that he had received $408,000 in research funding from the fossil fuel industry over the last decade (of which his University takes 50% for overhead). Contributors include ExxonMobil, the British Coal Corporation, Cyprus Minerals and OPEC.

His views have led to his enthusiastic adoption by various members of the free-market Atlas Economic Research Foundation network. He writes regularly for the Cato Institute, Tech Central Station and the Competitive Enterprise Institute.

His writings find him regularly in the company of other prominent climate change scholars, including Sallie L. Baliunas, and S. Fred Singer of the Science and Environmental Policy Project.

In August 2004 Balling told Business Week "I'm convinced there will be engineering schemes that will allow our children's children to have whatever climate they want". 

Background
Education:
 * 1974: AB, Wittenberg University
 * 1975: MA, Bowling Green State University
 * 1979: PhD in geography from the University of Oklahoma

Books

 * Robert C. Balling, "The Heated debate: greenhouse predictions versus climate reality," Pacific Research Institute for Public Policy, April 1992, ISBN 0936488476
 * Robert C. Balling, Martin A. J. Williams, "Interactions of Desertification & Climate," Oxford University Press, October 1995, ISBN 0340632178
 * Patrick J. Michaels and Robert C. Balling, The Satanic Gases: clearing the air about global warming, National Book Network, 2000 ASIN: 1882577914

Affiliations

 * European Academy for Environmental Affairs
 * European Science and Environment Forum
 * Environment & Climate News (Heartland Institute), Contributing Editor
 * Greening Earth Society, Advisor
 * International Policy Network
 * Advisory Board, Committee for a Constructive Tomorrow

Contact information

 * Phone: (480) 965-6265
 * Fax: (480) 965-1473
 * E-mail: robert.balling AT asu.edu
 * Website http://geography.asu.edu/balling/

to limit spam substitute @ symbol for AT

Related SourceWatch Articles

 * Global warming skeptics

External link

 * Minnesota News Council, Determination 118 ("In the Matter of the Complaint of Drs. Patrick Michaels and Robert Balling against The Star Tribune"), April 16, 1998
 * "Balling Central", Robert Balling home page, accessed Dec 2003
 * John Carey, "Global Warming", Business Week, August 16, 2004.
 * "Scientific advisors," Greening Earth Society
 * Robert Balling, "Gorey Details", Goldwater Institute News, May 26, 2006
 * "Robert Balling", Wikipedia