Guus Berkhout

Augustinus Johannes "Guus" Berkhout (born 1940) is a Dutch engineer who has worked for the oil and gas industry, and as a professor.

Berkhout started his career working for Shell. Between 1976 and 2007, he served as professor of acoustics, geophysics and innovation management, at Delft University of Technology. From 2000 to 2002 he was chair of a commission dealing with projected sound norms at Amsterdam Airport Schiphol, from which he resigned after feeling the commission's independence was undermined by the Ministry for Transport and Water Management. In 2019, Berkhout co-founded the climate sceptic organization Climate Intelligence Foundation (CLINTEL).

Early life and education

Berkhout was born in 1940 in Den Helder.[1][2] He studied electrical engineering at Delft University of Technology and obtained his degree in 1963. In 1970 he obtained a PhD cum laude in physics from the same university.[2][3]

Career

In 1964 Berkhout started working for Royal Dutch Shell. In 1976 he returned to Delft University of Technology, and became a professor of acoustic imaging and sound control.[4] In 1987 he also became professor of geophysics.[1] In 1998 he joined the board of the university, he stepped down in 2001, before the end of his term, due to differences with other board members in vision on the future of the university.[3] In 2001 he became professor of innovation management and he retired from the university in 2007.[1] Berkhout has pleaded against the increase of bureaucratic processes at universities.[5]

During his time at Delft University Berkhout was the founder and scientific director of the Delphi Consortium, which does seismic research for a consortium of oil and gas companies.[4]

Public sector

Berkhout was chair of the independent Commission Experts Airplane sound from mid 2000 to December 2002. On request of the House of Representatives the Dutch Minister for Transport and Water Management, Tineke Netelenbos, instigated the commission. The commission was to look into the sound norms for Amsterdam Airport Schiphol for the upcoming five years. Berkhout resigned as chair after having the feeling that the independence of the commission was hindered by the Ministry, and having to wait for approval of a measurement plan for over half a year.[6] The whole commission resigned, citing they had been actively worked against by the Ministry.[7]

For the 2006 Dutch general elections Berkhout had planned to form a new party with several scientists and entrepreneurs, but did not enter the elections, seeing the huge increase in new parties contesting the election.[1]

Climate Intelligence Foundation

Berkhout founded the Netherlands-based organization Climate Intelligence Foundation (CLINTEL). Mid 2019 plans of CLINTEL and Berkhout were leaked showing that they were organizing a campaign against political commitments to net zero carbon emissions being made into law. The campaign features a number of academics and industry figures with ties to climate change denial groups, as well as members from oil and gas companies.[8] Berkhout claimed the ideal of the organization was to provide an alternative to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.[9]

In late September 2019 the group produced an open letter which stated that there was no climate emergency and repeated a number of claims that were inconsistent with the scientific evidence on climate.[10] A fact check performed by climate scientists for Climate Feedback gave the letter an overall scientific credibility of "very low", and tagged it as "Biased, Cherry-picking, Inaccurate, Misleading". The analysis also added that, out of the roughly 500 signatories, only 10 self-identified as climate scientists.[11]

Honours and distinctions

Berkhout was elected a member of the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences in 1990.[12]

In 2008 he was made an Officer in the Order of Orange-Nassau.[4]

References
  1. Joost Panhuysen (7 June 2007). "'TU Delft heeft een gouden kans gemist'" (in Dutch). Delta. Retrieved 26 July 2016.
  2. Augustinus Johannes Berkhout, Minimum Phase in Sampled-Signal Theory", PhD Dissertation, Delft University of Technology, February 1970
  3. Jos Wassink (17 March 2014). "Guus Berkhout" (in Dutch). Delta. Retrieved 26 July 2016.
  4. "Koninklijke onderscheidingen voor Fokkema, Luyben en Berkhout" (in Dutch). Delft University of Technology. 25 April 2008. Retrieved 26 July 2016.
  5. Guus Berkhout. "Grote schoonmaak in het onderwijs" (PDF) (in Dutch). Beter onderwijs Nederland. Retrieved 26 July 2016.
  6. John Schoorl and Jan Meeus (20 August 2003). "Te deskundig voor Schiphol". de Volkskrant (in Dutch). Retrieved 26 July 2016.
  7. "Rookgordijn rondom lawaai Schiphol". NRC Handelsblad (in Dutch). 28 December 2002. Retrieved 26 July 2016.
  8. Hundreds of climate sceptics to mount international campaign to stop net-zero targets being made law In: The Independent. 6 September 2019. Retrieved 7 September 2019.
  9. Maarten Keulemans (8 February 2019). "Het 'andere klimaatgeluid' krijgt eigen onderzoeksinstituut" (in Dutch). de Volkskrant. Retrieved 30 March 2020.
  10. Readfearn, Graham (September 26, 2019). "'CO2 is plant food': Australian group signs international declaration denying climate science". The Guardian. Retrieved 29 September 2019.
  11. "Letter signed by "500 scientists" relies on inaccurate claims about climate science". Climate Feedback. Retrieved 5 October 2019.
  12. "Guus Berkhout". Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences. Archived from the original on 26 July 2016.
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