Truthdigger of the Week: Dr. Susan Solomon

Truthdig tips its hat this week to U.S. government scientist Dr. Susan Solomon, who was most responsible for the strong wording of what is being hailed as “the most authoritative” report yet on the effects of global warming.

Dr. Solomon, a top researcher at the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, co-chaired the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, the group that authored the report. Insiders have publicly said (scroll down) that it is Solomon who should receive the lion’s share of the credit for the group’s no-compromise finished product.

In speaking to journalists and the broader public during her group’s Feb. 2 presentation in Paris, Solomon refused to hedge or mince words—a particularly admirable and courageous act considering that she works for the George W. Bush-led U.S. government, which has been notoriously hostile toward government scientists who speak out on global warming.

“There can be no question that the increase in greenhouse gases are dominated by human activities,” Solomon told the AP.

“We can be very confident that the net effect of human activity since 1750 has been one of warming,” she told delegates in Paris.

Thanks, Dr. Solomon. We need more like you.

Learn more about Susan Solomon

Read the IPCC report (.pdf file)

AP / Jacques Brinon

Dr. Susan Solomon, a U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration scientist who co-chairs the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, attends a Paris conference this week at which the panel’s grim report on rising temperatures and sea levels worldwide was finalized.