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Episode 1776: Steven E. Koonin

climate change denial fossil fuel industry misinformation pseudoscience

Introduction

Episode 1776 featured Steven E. Koonin, a theoretical physicist and former Under Secretary for Science at the U.S. Department of Energy under the Obama administration, who promoted misleading claims about climate science based on his controversial book “Unsettled: What Climate Science Tells Us, What It Doesn’t, and Why It Matters.” While Koonin has legitimate scientific credentials in physics, his characterization of climate science has been widely criticized by climate scientists as cherry-picked, misleading, and serving to delay climate action. His previous role as Chief Scientist for BP from 2004-2009 raises additional concerns about potential conflicts of interest when discussing fossil fuel-related climate policy.

The Problem with Koonin’s “Unsettled” Narrative

Climate Scientists Reject Koonin’s Claims

Koonin’s central thesis—that climate science is too “unsettled” to warrant urgent action—has been thoroughly debunked by mainstream climate scientists:

Scientific American’s Assessment: In a scathing review titled “A New Book Manages to Get Climate Science Badly Wrong,” climate scientists stated that Koonin “deploys the misleading label ‘unsettled’ to falsely suggest that we don’t understand the risks well enough to take action.” The review concluded that “Koonin is wrong on both counts. The science is stronger than ever around findings that speak to the likelihood and consequences of climate impacts.”

Yale Climate Connections Review: Physicist Mark Boslough, a former student of Koonin, wrote a detailed critique identifying how Koonin “builds on a collection of misleading and false claims” and uses “strawman arguments” by attacking the phrase “the science is settled”—a phrase that “has never been in common use by climate scientists and their supporters.”

Inside Climate News: Multiple climate scientists told Inside Climate News that Koonin’s “critiques are superficial, misleading and marred by overgeneralization” and that “his statements are frequently misleading, and often leave the reader with the incorrect impression climate scientists are hiding the truth.”

Cherry-Picking and Outdated Science

Selective Data Presentation: Scientists identified that Koonin cherry-picks specific datasets while ignoring contradictory evidence. For example, he highlights one dataset suggesting ambiguity about sea level rise while ignoring four other datasets showing clear modern acceleration.

Outdated Science: The American Institute of Physics noted that “the science at the core of ‘Unsettled’ is fatally out of date” and relies heavily on the 2013 IPCC report, ignoring subsequent research and updated findings.

Misunderstanding Uncertainty: Koonin fundamentally misrepresents how scientific uncertainty works, implying that uncertainty means we should be less concerned. As reviewers pointed out, he is “apparently unaware of the fact that increased uncertainty means increased risks”—not decreased urgency.

Fossil Fuel Industry Connections

BP Chief Scientist Role

From 2004 to 2009, Koonin served as Chief Scientist for BP, one of the world’s largest oil and gas companies. In this role, he was responsible for guiding the company’s long-range technology strategy. This connection is significant given that fossil fuel companies have a documented history of funding climate denial and delay tactics.

DeSmog Investigation: The climate accountability organization DeSmog has extensively documented Koonin’s BP ties and noted that “despite being criticized heavily by mainstream climate scientists—with one review in Scientific American saying it ‘manages to get climate science badly wrong’—Koonin was embraced by conservatives such as Canadian influencer Jordan Peterson.”

Pattern of Climate Contrarianism

Koonin has been featured alongside well-known climate contrarians John Christy, Judith Curry, Ross McKitrick, and Roy Spencer in reports that “dismiss scientific consensus, twist the science, baselessly question the reliability of climate models, cast doubt on the proven links between climate change and extreme weather, and cherry-pick data to manufacture unwarranted uncertainty.”

Joe Rogan’s Response: Inviting Andrew Dessler

To Rogan’s credit, immediately after episode 1776 with Koonin, he invited climate scientist Andrew Dessler for episode 1777 to provide counterarguments. Dessler, a climate scientist at Texas A&M University, directly challenged Koonin’s framing.

Dessler’s Rebuttal: During episode 1777, Dessler compared Koonin to tobacco industry PR representatives who tried to manufacture doubt about cigarette harm, and described Koonin’s approach as being “like a defense lawyer trying to get their client off” rather than honestly representing the science.

On Debating “Settled” Science: When Rogan suggested Dessler debate Koonin on climate science, Dessler declined, stating: “My feeling is that I won’t debate the science. So the science is set. The temperature is warming, humans have caused it.” He reiterated that “while there are uncertainties in climate science, the main conclusions—the Earth is warming, humans are primarily to blame, and future warming carries with it significant risks—are quite well established.”

Why This Matters

Climate misinformation has real-world consequences. By platforming Koonin’s misleading claims without immediate expert rebuttal, episode 1776 potentially reinforced climate delay tactics that serve fossil fuel industry interests rather than public understanding.

The consensus among climate scientists is overwhelming: the planet is warming, humans are the primary cause, and urgent action is needed. Koonin’s “unsettled” framing creates false doubt about this consensus, potentially delaying the policy responses needed to address the climate crisis.

While Rogan’s decision to follow up with Andrew Dessler shows some journalistic balance, the sequential format means many viewers of episode 1776 may never hear the scientific rebuttals presented in episode 1777.

Sources

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