Paul D. Thacker is a Fellow at the Edmond J. Safra Center for Ethics at Harvard University and a consultant to multiple nonprofits and foundations. He is a former congressional investigator for the United States Senate Finance Committee where he led investigations of corruption of science and medicine. In 2007, he was profiled in Expose: America's Investigative Reports, a PBS series on investigative reporters.
Why Can't Gravity Believers and Skeptics Get Along?
Multiple media outlets around the world covered a study published last week in the journal Nature Climate Change.* This study sought to explain why "believers" in climate change cannot get along with "skeptics" and how "believers" can argue the matter better to convince "skeptics." Seems like a fascinating dive into the sociology of science, until [...]
Whistleblower Who Exposed White House Tampering with Climate Science Dies
Rick Piltz passed away last Saturday. He spent decades working in the federal government and state government in Texas, and was a prominent whistleblower during the Bush administration.
Keystone XL Spotlights History of Environmental Analysis
In April, the Obama administration once again punted on whether or not to approve the Keystone XL oil pipeline. The State Department, which is responsible for permitting the pipeline because it crosses an international border, postponed the decision, saying that more time was needed because of ongoing litigation that could alter the pipeline's route.
Pretending Keystone XL Politics is Science
Last Friday, InsideClimate News revealed yet another possible conflict of interest in the ongoing drama surrounding the proposed Keystone XL oil pipeline.