© Clintel Foundation/Sunday December 31, 2023

All we need is love, a new year’s message from your president

Guus-Berkhout-achtergrond-big-data aangepast

Dear friends and colleagues,

At the end of a hectic year, I would like to share with you the following topics.

World Climate Declaration
The number of signatories of the World Climate Declaration continued to grow this year (to over 1850), especially after new Nobel laureate John Clauser joined. We are also very pleased to announce that the number of financial supporters is growing. We have now more than 550 Friends of Clintel (all around the world), more than 1500 one time or monthly donors and next to our Dutch tax friendly status (ANBI = Public Benefit Organisation) we now also have 501(c)3 status in the US. Your continued support allows us to extend our activities in 2024!

The Frozen Climate Views of the IPCC
For Clintel, 2023 marked the year that ‘The Frozen Climate Views of the IPCC‘ was published.
So far, we are the only group worldwide that has most extensively reviewed the latest IPCC report. Our findings are shocking and should be breaking news worldwide (in fact, the errors we found are far worse than those previously found that led to the 2010 investigation by the InterAcademy Council, IAC). Unfortunately, facts still matter little these days. Not honest science but ideological emotions and political ambitions rule.

Breakthrough in Dubai
This year showed ups and downs in our achievements to unmask the deceitful climate alarmists. Fortunately, a positive message came from COP28, the climate top in Dubai. There was much praise in the media for the ‘historic progress’ made over there. Those willing to look behind the butter-soft final statement, however, see that a historic change of direction has taken place. As might be expected, politicians and the media kept this big change under wraps. I briefly summarize what really took place in Dubai:

For the first time in the long series of 28 climate meetings, it was no longer primarily about climate, but almost entirely about energy. During the meeting it gradually became clear that people consider the energy issue far more urgent than the climate issue. Everything indicates that the scare-mongering narratives about forthcoming climate disasters have lost credibility.
Another spectacular turn of events was that fossil fuels may now be qualified as a “transition fuel”. No firm statements were made about how long that transition should take (as long as needed!). On the other hand, it was stated that nuclear energy may become the new energy source after the transition.
Next, the meeting recognized that poor countries have a real chance to develop only if their energy system is going to focus primarily on fossil fuels. The imposition of prohibitively expensive ideological alternatives, such as wind and solar, thus seems to be off the table for good.

Clearly, this startling change will have major implications for the global energy sector. Fossil fuels will continue to be seen as indispensable in the functioning of the global economy for the time being (no surprise that immediately after COP28, stock prices of major oil companies went up). Of course, it was also concluded that the world should gradually distance itself (“transitioning away”) from fossil energy, but they now openly admit that this can only happen responsibly if sound alternatives are in place. It also means that all the foolish demonstrations about stopping fossil fuels immediately, look even more stupid after COP28.

Read more about the COP28 in two excellent commentaries by Samuel Furfari and Ross McKitrick.

Towards a system approach
For 2024, I would like to propose the following change of direction, requiring a broader view from all of us. So far, our emphasis was largely on two-way SW- and LW-radiation and the influence of CO2 on these processes. The reason being the dominant role of this molecule in the IPCC climate warming models. We showed, however, that CO2 is essential for all life on our planet and that the influence on climate warming is modest at most. More CO2 in our atmosphere has more advantages than disadvantages. According to Clintel, the huge costs of net-zero policies are irresponsible. This conclusion was repeatedly shown in the past years.
Now it is time to shift our emphasis to a broader picture. This process is already fully going on now. By widening our research and focusing on all factors that may be responsible for climate change, it becomes increasingly clear that nót CO2 but the H2O-molecule is the one that is primarily regulating the changes of the climate on our water planet. In this process the three phases of H2O (solid, fluid and gas) play an essential role and heat transport in the lower troposphere is dominated by convection. In addition, we notice that clouds play a key role in the forementioned SW-and LW-radiation. I recommend the recent article of our colleague Demetris Koutsoyiannis: Revisiting the greenhouse effect—a hydrological perspective .
However, there is more. I also make a plea for a second step. To complete the system approach, we need to get more involved in policy making. Keep in mind, we may achieve significant scientific progress, but if governments ignore our results (and even impede free speech) and continue with their net-zero policies, nothing will change. We therefore need to influence the politicians and that can only be done indirectly by informing the public that they are cheated and ripped off! For example, in my country a political landslide recently occurred as the public does not trust the old politicians anymore. Clintel’s continuing informative stories – showing the truth about climate and energy – were very instrumental in this revolution!

Plan for 2024
We will continue to increase the number of signatories, with emphasis on excellent scientists (including Nobel laureates) and excellent professionals (including engineers and economists). We will also continue to criticize IPCC for dishonest science. And above all, we will continue to criticize universities and their umbrella organizations for being marionettes of national governments and supranational organizations. Scientific organizations must stay far away from ideological movements and political ambitions.
In addition, to be more effective in the future, we will put more emphasis on the big picture.
This means broadening our climate research by including the key role of the H2O molecule, our energy research by including the future role of nuclear energy (including synthetic fuels) and, above all, by showing the general public that they are cheated and ripped off!

All we need is love
Clintel will stay an organization with a variety of believes and opinions. Diversity is our strength. Nobody knows the truth and there are many ways that brings us to a better society. So, let us stay united, even when we disagree. What keeps us together is our World Climate Declaration and our ultimate mission to make our planet a better place to live.
A Healthy and Prosperous New Year for all of you,

Guus Berkhout
President of Clintel

Clintel is a registered 501(c)3 organisation in the USA

Good news! Thanks to the help of an American friend of Clintel, we have been able to set up a US registered 501(c)3 organisation under the name Climate Intel. This means that US citizens can now do a tax deductible donation to Climate Intel and support the work of Clintel. Several options for donations can be found here and here.

For more information contact our office: office@clintel.org

Clintel is an Amsterdam (The Netherlands) based thinktank founded in 2019 by Dutch emeritus professor Guus Berkhout and science writer Marcel Crok. Clintel operates as a climate science and climate policy watchdog. In its first year it launched the World Climate Declaration, stating firmly “there is no climate emergency”. That declaration is now signed by more than 1850 scientists and experts.
Clintel wants to be independent from governments as these are the main funders of climate science and policy. In practice it means we need broad support from citizens and small and medium enterprises around the world.

For more information, please contact Marcel Crok, +31 6 16 236275, marcel.crok@clintel.org

You can support us by becoming Friends of Clintel or you can make a one-time donation.
Many thanks in advance for your support!