Retired Denver7 meteorologist presses his case for 'climate change'

Retirement doesn’t suit Mike Nelson so well.

The grizzled former Denver7 meteorologist doesn’t care for golf or pickleball much. Instead, Nelson, who became a leading local voice on “climate change” in his nearly half-century television tenure, is still pressing his case for the issue, albeit with more freedom now that he’s no longer a reporter.   

Nelson spoke at the Stand Up for Science rally in front of hundreds on the state Capitol steps on March 7, while pressing the case for the economic and environmental benefits of widespread adoption of “renewable” energy sources. About 15 years ago, while working as a journalist, Nelson had to turn down a Rolling Stone interview to avoid any questions of impartiality.

Nelson estimates he’s given student demonstrations, including his signature tornado dance, to more than a million young faces throughout his career.

He now calls himself a “climate expert,” something he said is sorely missing from local and national outlets these days.

“We’re not doing nearly enough about climate change in the media,” Nelson said. “It should be something that’s in a story every single day on all the local television stations.” 

The major debate over climate change has shifted throughout the years. Progressive activists and other allies insist that America should swiftly transition into renewable energy sources, such as solar and wind, in order to protect the environment and people’s health.  

The other side of that debate argues that the transition is happening too quickly, that solar and wind offer intermittent energy when what people need is sustainable and reliable power, and that the change will mean a significant increase in people’s energy bills, affecting low-income Americans more than anyone. Critics also question the veracity of the widely accepted claim that renewable energy sources are “cheaper.” 

Some, like U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright, views the world as divided between the haves and have-nots — but with a specific eye toward access to energy, arguing that, instead of a “climate” agenda, America should focus on ensuring a wide array of cheap, abundant and sustainable energy sources that include geothermal, nuclear, oil and gas. He argued that this approach is the antidote to what he described as an “energy crisis,” in which a minority of the world’s population has access to abundant energy, while the rest lives in “energy poverty.”   

Others question the science behind climate change, arguing climate modeling is difficult and unreliable, and that much of the debate is driven by an ideological agenda among partisans, including journalist-meteorologists, instead of a pragmatic or a scientific one.  

Nelson, having already served a lengthy career before beginning at Denver7 in the early 2000s, said he got the network’s support to talk about climate on air.

“My management had been quite supportive of me talking about climate change. They said, ‘Just don’t, don’t preach. Put the science out there and you don’t do it every day’,” Nelson said.

He and the station got largely positive feedback from audiences, he said. For Nelson, the role of the meteorologist is a crucial one.

“We are invited into our viewers’ homes … to explain something complicated like the weather and do it in easy-to-understand terms in about three minutes,” he said.

Nelson, who learned about the greenhouse gas effect in the 1970s, said he became dissatisfied with the political polarization of climate change.

Nelson said that by mid-century, without reductions in greenhouse gas emissions, Denver will average about 20 days above 100 degrees Fahrenheit, and by 2100 that number will balloon to 50 days.

“Essentially, the climate of Denver by 2100 will be the climate of Northern Mexico. Think about 100-degree temperatures in Rocky Mountain National Park. The changes we will see in agriculture and water supply, this is coming at us super fast,” Nelson added.

The former meteorologist is spending his time advocating for a “super grid” to connect the U.S. with renewable electricity, arguing solar is cheaper per megawatt hour than natural gas. Nelson is also working on a new weather warning service, consulting for television talent and enjoying time with his family.

“I look into the eyes of my three grandchildren who are 12, 9 and 7 and think, I’ve got to do this because their world is going to be so impacted by the warming. The dinosaurs couldn’t stop the asteroid. We can stop what is happening right now,” Nelson said.

Retirement doesn’t suit Mike Nelson so well. The grizzled former Denver7 meteorologist doesn’t care for golf or pickleball much. Instead, Nelson, who became a leading local voice on climate change in his nearly half century television tenure, is doing more of the same—with some added freedoms.