I am deeply saddened to report that a climate warrior of great integrity -- Rick Piltz -- passed away early this morning

Rick Piltz was a man of great courage, integrity, and clarity of thought who was also a friend to many.  He will be much missed by his friends and his colleagues in the fight for truth in government and in climate change policy.

by Nicky Sundt

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My great friend and colleague Rick Piltz (Climate Science Watch) died this morning, 18 October 2014, at 2:46 am EST. I visited him in the hospital on Wednesday and we said what needed to be said to each other. We worked very closely together at the U.S. Global Change Research Program under the Bush Administration to maintain the scientific integrity of the program and to defend it against climate deniers (a phrase he coined). He left the USGCRP in disgust during Bush’s second term, exposed the Bush Administration’s efforts to subvert the science and mislead the public, and established Climate Science Watch. I worked closely with him throughout that period and since then. I am grateful that I had him as a friend, and as a close co-conspirator in our lifelong efforts to speak truth to power. I will miss him.

I can think of no greater tribute to Rick than to rededicate myself to moving our communities, businesses, organizations, and governments to effectively and urgently address our climate crisis; and to never, never give up. I hope many of you will join me in drawing inspiration from Rick as we move forward around the climate issue. Read more about Rick at Climate Science Watch (http://www.climatesciencewatch.org/people/ ) and on wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rick_S._Piltz ).