"Contrarians vs Compliers" - Dueling Climate Science Reports Fuel Public Debate; Friends of Science Society Offers Plain Language Resources

"Science - In Short" and "Who's Who in the US DOE Climate Science Report?" are two new video offerings from Friends of Science Society, meant to complement the nuanced "no climate emergency" report with additional plain language resources for the public. A rebuttal report by Dressler et al fills mainstream media, framing the DOE report authors as "contrarians."

CALGARY, AB, Sept. 3, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- In response to the recent US Department of Energy (DOE) Climate Science report a group of some 85 scientists have issued a rebuttal with CNN reporting on Sept. 02, 2025 that "five well-known contrarians" wrote the DOE report, says Friends of Science Society. Friends of Science Society is offering some plain language resources to help the public understand what is at stake. The battle between "Contrarians vs Compliers" should be a matter of open, civil debate, says Friends of Science Society, noting there is a broad spectrum of views in the public in their video, "Climate Diversity is our Strength: You Have a Right to Dissent."

"Science – In Short" is a Friends of Science Society video that offers highlights of the chapter summaries of the US DOE report "A Critical Review of Impacts of Greenhouse Gas Emissions on the U.S. Climate. A second video "Who's Who in the US DOE Climate Science Report?" gives the public an introduction to the authors of the report and their works. A blog post offers additional information.

A surprising insight from the US DOE report from Chapter 11 on the Social Cost of Carbon (from which carbon tax rates are derived) is that: "Economists have long considered climate a relatively unimportant factor in economic growth, a view echoed by the IPCC itself in AR5. Mainstream climate economics has recognized that CO₂-induced warming might have some negative economic effects, but they are too small to justify aggressive abatement policy and that trying to "stop" or cap global warming even at levels well above the Paris target would be worse than doing nothing."

As per comments submitted in response to the DOE report, by Friends of Science Society's research director, Ken Gregory, the social 'costs' of carbon dioxide should actually be reframed as the social benefits. If, as the US DOE climate report states, there is no climate crisis, there is no need for further costly misapplication of public funds to "climate action," says Friends of Science Society.

Both videos reference a comment by Energy Secretary Chris Wright from the foreword, "What I've found is that media coverage often distorts the science. Many people walk away with a view of climate change that is exaggerated or incomplete."

Axios is reporting that climate scientist Andrew Dressler of Texas A&M University, lead coordinator of the rebuttal report, commented by email that the DOE report makes a "mockery of science."

That view is not shared by Rear Admiral Tim Gallaudet (U.S. Navy, ret.), Ph.D., the vice chairman of the Board of Directors for Force Blue, former acting and deputy administrator of NOAA, acting under secretary and assistant secretary of commerce, and oceanographer of the Navy.

His positive op-ed in the Epoch Times of Aug. 26, 2025, expresses gratitude for "Finally, an Unbiased and Objective Climate Science Report." Gallaudet had this to say: "For too long, the American people have been fed an unrealistic narrative that climate change is an existential threat that only drastic reductions in fossil fuel use will solve. Secretary Wright has finally got it right, and it's about time that the United States supports unbiased and objective climate science." 

To Energy Secretary Chris Wright's point about media coverage, in the video, "Who's Who…" Friends of Science Society offers the example of the umbrella media organization "Covering Climate Now." This group of some 500 media outlets with an audience reach of 2 billion people creates coordinated media climate campaigns. In the Spring 2020 edition of the Columbia Journalism Review "The Climate Issue," they interviewed the director of the dystopian film series "Mad Max" for tips for journos on "how to make climate fear compelling." 

Join Friends of Science Society in the "Race from Net Zero" with our fall special event: "Food Prices, Farming and Net Zero Ideology" on Sept. 25, 2025, in Calgary or via live stream.

About
Friends of Science Society is an independent group of earth, atmospheric and solar scientists, engineers, and citizens that is celebrating its 23rd year of offering climate science insights. After a thorough review of a broad spectrum of literature on climate change, Friends of Science Society has concluded that the sun is the main driver of climate change, not carbon dioxide (CO2).

SOURCE Friends of Science Society