
A giant of man, a brave scientist, and a dear friend passed away suddenly on Tuesday.
Jay Lehr was the most-vigorous and interesting man any of us have ever met, and will probably ever meet. Irrefutable data is displayed in the picture picture at left.
Jay’s family and friends, including all of us at The Heartland Institute, are still dealing with the shock.
We will have more to say about the life and work of Jay Lehr — one of the most-important and most-impactful communicators for real science on the climate in the world — in the coming days. And those thoughts will be shared and time-stamped in this post.
In the meantime, here are some videos of some of Jay’s best work about the subject that animated him like no other: convincing people that humans are not causing a climate crisis, and presenting the data to prove it.
We post this knowing that Jay climate realism was his passion, and he’d want as many people to see his work as possible — not just now, at his passing, but always.
Godspeed and rest in peace, dear friend.
Statement by James Taylor, president of The Heartland Institute:
The passing of Dr. Jay Lehr is a tremendous loss to the Heartland Institute family, to the field of science, and to the greater universe of mankind.
I first met Jay in 2001 when I joined The Heartland Institute. Back then and throughout the 20-plus years I knew him, Jay was the most enthusiastic and energetic man I knew. He was a man a tremendous intellect yet tremendous humility. He would do anything for anybody and was more than happy to allow others to take the credit for his hard work.
Jay kept up a remarkable travel schedule, constantly touring the country – and indeed the world – while spreading his love of science and agriculture. Audiences loved his energetic demeanor and encyclopedic knowledge of science. While on the road, he would tirelessly spend his evenings writing book reviews and science articles for Heartland and others. Jay was the Energizer bunny of science.
It was impossible not to smile when seeing Jay. He effused good cheer, passion, and personal warmth. During times of trouble, Jay would always go out of his way to cheer me up with his kind heart, optimism, and compassion.
It does not seem real that I will never see him again at Heartland’s climate conferences or anywhere else. I will miss you, my friend.
We talked about Jay’s passing on the January 12, 2023 live-stream of the In the Tank Podcast
Here’s Jay ending one of the most-popular videos we’ve ever uploaded to Heartland’s YouTube channel titled “Four Climate Scientists Destroy Climate Change Alarmism,” which has earned more than 700,000 views. And it was Jay’s image on the thumbnail that helped it get there.
Jay Lehr receiving the “Dauntless Purveyor of Climate Truth Award” at Heartland’s climate conference in 2019.
Jay Lehr – The Other Side of the Global Warming Story. A speech in Fort Wayne, Indiana in 2017
A keynote speech titled “Saving Science After Climategate” from our climate conference in 2013.