Craig D. Idso is an American ecologist, geographer, climatologist, and researcher renowned for his skeptical stance on anthropogenic climate change. He founded the Center for the Study of Carbon Dioxide and Global Change in 1998, where he serves as president and chairman, promoting the view that rising CO2 levels benefit plant growth and agriculture while challenging mainstream climate alarmism. The organization has received significant funding from fossil fuel companies including ExxonMobil and Peabody Energy, and Idso co-chairs the Nongovernmental International Panel on Climate Change (NIPCC), which produces reports countering the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). His work often emphasizes empirical data on CO2 fertilization effects and criticizes models predicting catastrophic warming, positioning him as a key figure in climate skepticism networks. Born in 1947, Idso is the son of Sherwood B. Idso, a prominent USDA soil scientist, and brother to Keith E. Idso, also involved in climate-related research. He began his career at the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Water Conservation Laboratory in Phoenix, Arizona, focusing on vegetation responses to environmental factors. Idso has affiliations with conservative think tanks like The Heartland Institute, contributing to conferences and publications that advocate for free-market environmental policies. His family's multi-generational involvement in agrometeorology has influenced his perspectives on climate and agriculture. Idso's positions have drawn criticism from the scientific community for allegedly cherry-picking data and aligning with industry interests, though he maintains his research is independent and data-driven. He continues to author books, reports, and articles, including contributions to NIPCC assessments, influencing policy debates on energy and environment in the United States and beyond.