Lawrence Solomon
Encyclopedia
Lawrence Solomon is a Canadian writer on the environment
and the founder and executive director of Energy Probe
, a Canadian non-governmental environmental organization. His writing has appeared in a number of newspapers, including The National Post where he has a column, and he is the author of several books on energy resources, urban sprawl, and global warming
, among them The Conserver Solution (1978), Energy Shock (1980), Toronto Sprawls: A History (2007), and The Deniers (2008).
Solomon opposes nuclear power based on its economic cost, is a global warming skeptic, and has been critical of government approaches and policies used to address environmental concerns.
's task force on the environment in the late 1970s, which released The Global 2000 Report to the President
in 1980. He has a regular column in The National Post, and has written for The Globe and Mail, National Review Online, CBS News, and The Wall Street Journal. He was the editor and publisher of Next City magazine, now defunct. He has also written for American Forests
, an environmental conservation organization.
Serving as executive director of the Urban Renaissance Institute, a division of Energy Probe
, Solomon has advocated environmental protection, conservation, and safeguards throughout the world, especially in non-affluent nations. He supports reforms in foreign aid, putting a stop to nuclear power expansion, and supports the privatization of transport projects and the expansion of toll road
s. "I note that Lawrence Solomon continues to advocate road tolls, and the privatization of the TTC (like London) for Toronto's transportation system." Bruce Campion-Smith In his columns and his book Toronto Sprawls: A History, he blames government policy for exacerbating and encouraging sprawl. He is a critic of subsidies to rural Canada, and has criticized Ontario Hydro
's actions and projects and their effects on Canada's environment. He writes that he was very active during the 1970s and 1980s with Energy Probe in opposing attempts to expand the use of nuclear power in Canada.
, the IPCC
and the media
. The book featured on C-SPAN
's Book TV
on May 11, 2008. Reviews of the book have appeared in the Washington Times, Vancouver Sun, Alternatives Journal
, and other publications.
In December, 2008, an executive from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce's Institute for 21st Century Energy sponsored a debate about global warming between Lawrence Solomon and Dr. Jay Gulledge of the Pew Center on Global Climate Change
, who took the opposite view. Solomon's blog has been mentioned in U.S. News & World Report
's website concerning carbon emissions reduction legislation.
.
. He predicted that northern Sudan would reject the secession, which would then pit "a club of non-Islamic nations" (including what he calls "Christian Kenya", "Christian Ethiopia" and Israel) against Islamic ones (including Iran).
and includes a cafe where customers can sample a wide variety of coffee. The profits from Green Beanery go to Probe International.
Environmental policy
Environmental policy is any [course of] action deliberately taken [or not taken] to manage human activities with a view to prevent, reduce, or mitigate harmful effects on nature and natural resources, and ensuring that man-made changes to the environment do not have harmful effects on...
and the founder and executive director of Energy Probe
Energy Probe
Energy Probe is a non-governmental environmental policy organization based in Toronto and best known for its role in opposing nuclear power. It was founded in 1970 as a sister project of Pollution Probe and incorporated in 1980 as Energy Probe Research Foundation , which describes itself as "one of...
, a Canadian non-governmental environmental organization. His writing has appeared in a number of newspapers, including The National Post where he has a column, and he is the author of several books on energy resources, urban sprawl, and global warming
Global warming
Global warming refers to the rising average temperature of Earth's atmosphere and oceans and its projected continuation. In the last 100 years, Earth's average surface temperature increased by about with about two thirds of the increase occurring over just the last three decades...
, among them The Conserver Solution (1978), Energy Shock (1980), Toronto Sprawls: A History (2007), and The Deniers (2008).
Solomon opposes nuclear power based on its economic cost, is a global warming skeptic, and has been critical of government approaches and policies used to address environmental concerns.
Career and environmental activities
Solomon writes that he was an adviser to President Jimmy CarterJimmy Carter
James Earl "Jimmy" Carter, Jr. is an American politician who served as the 39th President of the United States and was the recipient of the 2002 Nobel Peace Prize, the only U.S. President to have received the Prize after leaving office...
's task force on the environment in the late 1970s, which released The Global 2000 Report to the President
The Global 2000 Report to the President
The Global 2000 Report to the President was released in 1980 by the Council on Environmental Quality and the United States Department of State. It was commissioned by President Jimmy Carter on May 23, 1977, and was directed by Gerald O. Barney. It was based on data collected by different institutions...
in 1980. He has a regular column in The National Post, and has written for The Globe and Mail, National Review Online, CBS News, and The Wall Street Journal. He was the editor and publisher of Next City magazine, now defunct. He has also written for American Forests
American Forests
American Forests is a 501 non-profit conservation organization dedicated to protecting and restoring healthy forest ecosystems. Their stated mission is to "grow a healthier world with trees". The organization was established in 1875 as the American Forestry Association by physician and...
, an environmental conservation organization.
Serving as executive director of the Urban Renaissance Institute, a division of Energy Probe
Energy Probe
Energy Probe is a non-governmental environmental policy organization based in Toronto and best known for its role in opposing nuclear power. It was founded in 1970 as a sister project of Pollution Probe and incorporated in 1980 as Energy Probe Research Foundation , which describes itself as "one of...
, Solomon has advocated environmental protection, conservation, and safeguards throughout the world, especially in non-affluent nations. He supports reforms in foreign aid, putting a stop to nuclear power expansion, and supports the privatization of transport projects and the expansion of toll road
Toll road
A toll road is a privately or publicly built road for which a driver pays a toll for use. Structures for which tolls are charged include toll bridges and toll tunnels. Non-toll roads are financed using other sources of revenue, most typically fuel tax or general tax funds...
s. "I note that Lawrence Solomon continues to advocate road tolls, and the privatization of the TTC (like London) for Toronto's transportation system." Bruce Campion-Smith In his columns and his book Toronto Sprawls: A History, he blames government policy for exacerbating and encouraging sprawl. He is a critic of subsidies to rural Canada, and has criticized Ontario Hydro
Ontario Hydro
Ontario Hydro was the official name from 1974 of the Hydro-Electric Power Commission of Ontario which was established in 1906 by the provincial Power Commission Act to build transmission lines to supply municipal utilities with electricity generated by private companies already operating at Niagara...
's actions and projects and their effects on Canada's environment. He writes that he was very active during the 1970s and 1980s with Energy Probe in opposing attempts to expand the use of nuclear power in Canada.
Global warming
In a series of articles and a companion book published in 2008, The Deniers, Solomon writes about scientists whose views and research, according to Solomon, contradicts what he calls the alarmist view of global warming presented by Al GoreAl Gore
Albert Arnold "Al" Gore, Jr. served as the 45th Vice President of the United States , under President Bill Clinton. He was the Democratic Party's nominee for President in the 2000 U.S. presidential election....
, the IPCC
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change is a scientific intergovernmental body which provides comprehensive assessments of current scientific, technical and socio-economic information worldwide about the risk of climate change caused by human activity, its potential environmental and...
and the media
Mainstream media
Mainstream media are those media disseminated via the largest distribution channels, which therefore represent what the majority of media consumers are likely to encounter...
. The book featured on C-SPAN
C-SPAN
C-SPAN , an acronym for Cable-Satellite Public Affairs Network, is an American cable television network that offers coverage of federal government proceedings and other public affairs programming via its three television channels , one radio station and a group of websites that provide streaming...
's Book TV
Book TV
Book TV is the name given to weekend programming on the American cable network C-SPAN2 airing from 8 a.m. Eastern Time Saturday morning to 8 a.m. Eastern Time Monday morning each week. The 48 hour block of programming is focused on non-fiction books and authors, featuring programs in the format of...
on May 11, 2008. Reviews of the book have appeared in the Washington Times, Vancouver Sun, Alternatives Journal
Alternatives Journal
Alternatives Journal is a not-for-profit environmental magazine based in Waterloo, Ontario, Canada. It is the national Canadian magazine exploring environmental science, issues, policy and debate. The journal also serves as the official publication of the ....
, and other publications.
In December, 2008, an executive from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce's Institute for 21st Century Energy sponsored a debate about global warming between Lawrence Solomon and Dr. Jay Gulledge of the Pew Center on Global Climate Change
Pew Center on Global Climate Change
The Center for Climate and Energy Solutions transitioned from the Pew Center on Global Climate Change in November 2011 under the leadership of its president, Eileen Claussen...
, who took the opposite view. Solomon's blog has been mentioned in U.S. News & World Report
U.S. News & World Report
U.S. News & World Report is an American news magazine published from Washington, D.C. Along with Time and Newsweek it was for many years a leading news weekly, focusing more than its counterparts on political, economic, health and education stories...
's website concerning carbon emissions reduction legislation.
Wikipedia
Solomon claims he has had negative experience editing Wikipedia. He has written columns criticizing Wikipedia's articles on global warming and other topics, including his own Wikipedia biography page, saying that they were edited by "zealots" and that Wikipedia was "modern propaganda." He has also criticized the edits of William ConnolleyWilliam Connolley
William Michael Connolley is a British software engineer, writer, and blogger on climatology. Until December 2007 he was Senior Scientific Officer in the Physical Sciences Division in the Antarctic Climate and the Earth System project at the British Antarctic Survey, where he worked as a climate...
.
Clash of civilizations
On December 29, 2010, Solomon predicted a "clash of civilizations between Islam and the west," over the secession of southern SudanSouth Sudan
South Sudan , officially the Republic of South Sudan, is a landlocked country located in the Sahel region of northeastern Africa. It is also part of the North Africa UN sub-region. Its current capital is Juba, which is also its largest city; the capital city is planned to be moved to the more...
. He predicted that northern Sudan would reject the secession, which would then pit "a club of non-Islamic nations" (including what he calls "Christian Kenya", "Christian Ethiopia" and Israel) against Islamic ones (including Iran).
Green Beanery
In 2004, Solomon founded Green Beanery, a non-profit online merchant specializing in organic coffee beans produced by small, independent farmers. The company is located in downtown TorontoToronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
and includes a cafe where customers can sample a wide variety of coffee. The profits from Green Beanery go to Probe International.
Published works
Solomon's books include:- The Conserver Solution (Doubleday, 1978 ISBN 978-0385145336)
- Energy shock: After the oil runs out (Doubleday, 1980 ISBN 978-0385171618)
- Breaking up Ontario Hydro's Monopoly (Energy Probe, 1982)
- Power at What Cost (Doubleday, 1984 ISBN 978-0919849037)
- In the Name of Progress (with Patricia Adams) (Earthscan, 1992 ISBN 978-1853831218)
- Toronto Sprawls: A History (University of TorontoUniversity of TorontoThe University of Toronto is a public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, situated on the grounds that surround Queen's Park. It was founded by royal charter in 1827 as King's College, the first institution of higher learning in Upper Canada...
Press, 2007 ISBN 978-0772786180) - The Deniers: The world-renowned scientists who stood up against global warming hysteria, political persecution, and fraud (Richard Vigilante Books, 2008 ISBN 978-0980076318)
External links
- Climate change: The Deniers provides an index to the series of articles by Solomon in the National PostNational PostThe National Post is a Canadian English-language national newspaper based in Don Mills, a district of Toronto. The paper is owned by Postmedia Network Inc. and is published Mondays through Saturdays...
about scientists who "buck the conventional wisdom on climate science." - "Don’t Deny Yourself", an interview with Lawrence Solomon, in National ReviewNational ReviewNational Review is a biweekly magazine founded by the late author William F. Buckley, Jr., in 1955 and based in New York City. It describes itself as "America's most widely read and influential magazine and web site for conservative news, commentary, and opinion."Although the print version of the...
, April 22, 2008. - "A Time to Deny", an interview with Lawrence Solomon at The American SpectatorThe American SpectatorThe American Spectator is a conservative U.S. monthly magazine covering news and politics, edited by R. Emmett Tyrrell Jr. and published by the non-profit American Spectator Foundation. From its founding in 1967 until the late 1980s, the small-circulation magazine featured the writings of authors...
, April 18, 2008. - The climate change deniers, an article on Solomon's book The Deniers in The Washington TimesThe Washington TimesThe Washington Times is a daily broadsheet newspaper published in Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States. It was founded in 1982 by Unification Church founder Sun Myung Moon, and until 2010 was owned by News World Communications, an international media conglomerate associated with the...
, May 6, 2008. - "The Deniers details flaws in the theories on global warming", The Vancouver Sun, May 9, 2008. "An anti-nuclear, Toronto-based, urban-loving, 1970s peace activist who opposes subsidies to the oil industry might be the last person expected to detail cracks in the science of global warming...."
- Manhattan Declaration on Climate Change contains links to various articles by Solomon.
- Mark Milke, "Alberta to Bury Carbon, and its History", a Frontier Centre for Public Policy article dated 2008-07-16 referring to Lawrence Solomon's book The Deniers.