A mansplainer told these women to ‘go back to the classroom’ and it was a glorious self-own

John Plunkett. Updated January 9th, 2020

Self-own of the day goes to this chap, a guy called Mike Smith who styles himself as @USWeatherExpert on Twitter.

We only mention this because he got into a Twitter row with two women over the Australian fires and the role global warming had to play in them.

It all began when someone called Kate Marvel said this and, well, have a read for yourself.

The number of people yelling "it's arson!" at me like that somehow changes the molecular structure of carbon dioxide is truly wild https://t.co/OpWyckyxvM

— Kate Marvel (@DrKateMarvel) January 6, 2020

I research wildfire. Fire is controlled by two things: ignition, and fuel. Climate change impacts both by increasing flammability (the likelihood something will burn) and the availability of dead, dry stuff on the landscape to burn. Folks yelling “arson” don’t understand fire.

— Dr. Jacquelyn Gill (@JacquelynGill) January 6, 2020

Cue Mike!

That is just nonsense. Theoretically, one might be able to blame lightning-related fire on global warming. Arson has nothing to do climate.
We don’t understand Australia’s drought/heat anymore than we understand what caused America’s Dust Bowl (in the pre-global warming era).

— Mike Smith (@USWeatherExpert) January 6, 2020

Just because you don’t understand doesn’t mean the rest of us don’t. I’ve already explained this; update your understanding, please.

— Dr. Jacquelyn Gill (@JacquelynGill) January 7, 2020

I understand just fine. I recommend you spend some time in meteorology and climatology classrooms.

— Mike Smith (@USWeatherExpert) January 7, 2020

I do. As the professor. Maybe you should take one of my classes sometime; I’ll teach you all about the Dust Bowl, fire/vegetation/drought relationships, and how CSIRO predicted increased bushfire risk in Australia due to anthropogenic warming over a decade ago.

— Dr. Jacquelyn Gill (@JacquelynGill) January 7, 2020

Oof! And because once wasn’t enough.

I do. As the instructor. https://t.co/8yXtrPeBza

— Dr. Jacquelyn Gill (@JacquelynGill) January 7, 2020

Boom!

And just in case you were wondering, Dr. Jacquelyn Gill is Associate Professor at the University of Maine’s Climate Change Institute while Dr Marvel is a climate scientist with a PhD in theoretical particle physics.

Mike, in the interests of balance and all that, is a ‘Husband, father, grandfather, scientist, entrepreneur and author. Management consultant and professional speaker that makes his topics come alive.’

that twitter handle tho

— Scott K. Johnson (@SJvatn) January 7, 2020

To be fair, weather isn’t climate. pic.twitter.com/mMSkDPI2k6

— Dr. Jacquelyn Gill (@JacquelynGill) January 7, 2020

This is awesome. Mr. @USWeatherExpert simultaneously mansplains AND sciencesplains incoherent #climate science to two of the smartest women climate scientists in the world. pic.twitter.com/2H1JvUgpSB

— Peter Gleick (@PeterGleick) January 7, 2020

That is the most egregious self-own I’ve ever seen on Twitter. And that’s saying something.

— Dr. Genevieve Guenther (@DoctorVive) January 7, 2020

https://twitter.com/katebevan/status/1214515270515077120

Last word to Mike.

I didn’t say she wasn’t smart (of course she is). I said she didn’t understand the atmosphere. She doesn’t.

— Mike Smith (@USWeatherExpert) January 7, 2020

Well, kind of.

H/T @katebevan