NAME:                 Tomáš Elbert

COUNTRY:          Czech Republic

What is your background?

I have graduated from Charles University, Prague in organic chemistry. After one year of military service I pursued my postgraduate studies at the same university and earned a Ph.D. in organic chemistry. I have specialized in the organic synthesis of compounds labelled by radioisotopes ¹⁴C, ³H and ¹²⁵I as a tools for life sciences. I spent 18 months as a foreign collaborator at the tritiation laboratory of the Centre of Atomic Studies in Saclay near Paris. As the head of the Radioisotope Laboratory of IOCB CAS, I had the duties of a radiation safety officer, too. At present I work part-time.

Since when and why are you interested in climate change and how did your views on climate change evolve?

One of my best friends since secondary school, graduated in meteorology and climatology and from our debates I learned some of the problems of the computer weather forecast models. When the famous ‘hockey stick’ graph was published at the end of last century and the frenzy of a burning planet and oceans started, I was sceptical about the exaggerated role of the carbon dioxide in climate change and the forecasts of the global temperature rising based on computer modelling.

Is climate change a big issue in your country and how do you notice this?

As in all countries, in Czechia there are a lot of ‘experts’ with a very weak background in natural sciences parroting the catastrophic climate changes scenarios. I have nothing against discussing the climate change theories and it is undeniable that the winters in Czechia are milder (as a child I was skating on the frozen Vltava river and skiing on the snow covered Prague hills) but I strongly object to applying not proven theories in political and economy decisions.

What would climate policy ideally look like in your view?

Climate change in time is an inherent attribute of the complexness of the Earth ecosystem and fluctuating Sun activity. Our civilization is absolutely dependent on electric energy production and since we do not know with certainty the mechanisms behind the climate changes, there should be no climate policy, since human experiments with influencing nature usually end up with an even bigger mess than it was destined  to solve.

What is your motivation to sign the CLINTEL World Climate Declaration?

I am worried about the consequences of climate alarmists actions and I want the public to see that there is no consensus of  99% of scientists on the anthropogenic origin of climate change.