Most experts say Lindzen is "feeding upon an audience that wants to hear a certain message, and wants to hear it put forth by people with enough scientific reputation that it can be sustained for a while, even if it's wrong science.
another M.I.T. scientist, "Even if there were no political implications, it just seems deeply unprofessional and irresponsible to look at this and say, 'We're sure it's not a problem.'
several other experts said Lindzen had "sacrificed his luminosity by taking a stand that most of us feel is scientifically unsound."
He added that while he regarded some of Lindzen's views as flawed, he said that, "across the board he's generally very good".
John Wallace of the
University of Washington agreed with Lindzen that progress in climate change science had been exaggerated, but said there are "
relatively few scientists who are as skeptical of the whole thing as Dick [Lindzen] is".
The Guardian reported in June 2016 that Lindzen has been a beneficiary of
Peabody Energy, a coal company that has funded multiple groups contesting the climate consensus.
The characterization of Lindzen as a contrarian has been reinforced by reports that he claims that
lung cancer has only been weakly linked to
smoking.
