An Interview Discussing Climate Research That Is Not Focused on Headlines
Without any doubt, climate change is currently the most hotly discussed and divisive issue. One probably wouldn’t be able to go through a day without hearing about it in the international media; it is a major topic in political debates, university curricula are being updated with it, it changes energy policies, and even more so, companies, investors, and local communities see it as their future strategy. However, most of the time, the focus is mainly on carbon taxes and electric vehicles, the debate on renewable energy policies is being opened, and the spotlight on climate is expanding more and more from the natural sciences to economics, jobs, energy, and national security.
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Today, we have our guest Victor Migalchan, a media personality, film and television director, martial artist, and independent researcher. Victor is a well-known figure in the media industry and has also published work and commentary on water systems and water purification. The range of his work covers technology, filmmaking, and applied research.
Interviewer: Victor, considering your background, I’m pretty sure that most people would be curious: why climate? What exactly drew you to the issue first of all?
Victor Migalchan: The environment has always attracted my attention, literally since I was a small boy. A big part of my childhood I spent out of town, and the main reason was my grandparents, who took me to live with them in Europe. Even our school encouraged us to observe, note, and follow the changes in weather and nature. This is something I have done continuously up to now.
Another way my grandparents, parents, and the rest of the family had a strong influence on me was through the learning of the technical skills that were very much a part of our family culture. I was shown how to repair an engine, change oil, work with plumbing, wiring, and irrigation systems. These weren’t lessons that you had to pay for; they were the basic standards of competence. When you grow up this way, it becomes second nature to you to understand how systems work, how they fail, and how they interact.
During my professional career, I utilized technology for quite some time. There is technology and physics everywhere in filmmaking: light, sound, movement, energy. Alongside that, I got deeply engaged with water research and water purification, which is obviously connected to the environmental systems at large.
My keen interest in climate change became obvious after I saw one of my mentors, Sir Dan Pena, answering a question on a topic publicly during a debate. His answer was very direct, even a little bit disturbing for some, but it was completely rational in my opinion. It motivated me to research the issue by myself instead of just accepting general opinions.
I have been in the media industry long enough to say that what I see very often is that instead of showing their facts firsthand, many journalists, sometimes unintentionally and sometimes deliberately, make up stories from assumptions. When I watch people with high net worth, sometimes totally uneducated and inexperienced in research, talking as if they are experts in climate or health, it is like reading a humorous fairy tale. However, many people do believe it.
The media is a business. Recognizing this fact is crucial while getting information. That epiphany was the main reason why I did my research.
Essentially, I wanted to find out. As my grandfather always said: “Search, and you will find”.
Interviewer: What was the beginning of your research, and what drove you to go on?
Victor Migalchan: The initial motive was simple: I was seeking the truth, and I thought that no one else but me could carry out the research properly to get the answer.
Initially, I was downloading long-term temperature data from different resources, some government-owned, others privately maintained. I’ve noticed small differences between the datasets, however the general trend was about the same.
Without a doubt, the biggest surprise was that a lot of widely accepted public conclusions simply did not agree with the figures that I was finding. This type of work doesn’t necessarily rely on one’s educational background with which to master it; in fact, in some cases, a degree very often leads one astray. What it takes is time, self-discipline, a basic understanding of statistics, and a clear purpose. With really simple tools such as Excel or Numbers, anybody can check out the trends objectively. It is true that data alone is not always enough to understand the full picture. However, they remain a good starting point and a very helpful one, at that.
For more than two centuries, the temperature has been going up and down. One thing that really amazed me is how little these changes correspond to the variations in CO2 levels, although CO2 is heavily emphasized in public discourse. In fact, in the past, the Earth was warmer than the current era.
The climate is, really, a complex and tightly interwoven system. Being very careful and systematic in my work, I added one element at a time only and checked how the system responded. If we ever manage to discover the truth instead of merely confirming our own biases, a very strong sense of self and such discipline will undoubtedly be required.
Interviewer: What aspects of your research did you find most intriguing?
Victor Migalchan: At first, I was glad to learn that there seems to be no or very little direct correlation between the level of CO2 and the temperature change. However, it is not okay to be reckless. Using petroleum products responsibly, changing and fixing a car properly, not generating waste, and caring for the environment are basically things one should do.
On the other hand, oil and products derived from it still serve as the backbone of the regional economy. Analyzing energy sources, oil, coal, solar, wind, nuclear we should first and foremost take out the emotion from the equation. Each energy source has its merits and demerits, besides being subject to its region. What would be feasible in a geographical or economic setting can turn out to be unfeasible in another.
Therefore, we should be wary of tearing down the economy of a state or nation simply because of what might, in effect, be a technological or political fashion trend. Energy policymaking should be based on data, infrastructure readiness, national interests, and economic reality.
Another thing that really interested me was the connection between temperature and water. Take the example of the areas that I studied in the country where humidity and rainfall together generally resulted in high temperatures, while droughts brought less warming. What I mean is that this is a very local observation and not a comparison of a hot desert with a humid subtropical place. Actually, research demands precision and an understanding of the given situation.
My research on this issue is in line with the one I am doing on water purification, and I will publish more findings when the data is ready.
Interviewer: So, basically, if I understand you correctly, you believe that temperature changes are more related to humidity changes than to CO2 changes, right?
Victor Migalchan: Yes, that is correct. The the data I have examined has led me to this conclusion. And on no account basis, please do not interpret me as suggesting: “This is a climate claim for everywhere.” Rather, it focuses on those regions where the data in these areas were consistent, and the results should be taken only in this context and studied.
Interviewer: What makes you say the climate change narrative is so influential?
Victor Migalchan: There is a lot going on here, different players with different motivations. Typically, for a big, complicated issue, the truth ends up being a mixture of different perspectives.
We have to be good stewards of resources and not simply be wasteful and cause environmental damage out of ego. However, if we go all in on the alternative energy transition at a blind pace without thorough consideration of economic, infrastructural, environmental, and social impacts, that may be equally disastrous.
A powerful story usually comes with a huge financial incentive behind it, like getting grants, selling solar panels, electric vehicles, and expanding academic programs. Universities, like media companies, manufacturers, or even social media influencers, are businesses. Content creators are all about views and often don’t really care much about the quality and truthfulness of the message.
Living in a capitalist system is essentially our strength. It grants us the freedom to choose and access to resources and information. However, it also demands that we thoroughly investigate so as not to be deceived. As an illustration, the electrical grid in our country is not yet ready for complete electrification, and we still do not completely comprehend the health and environmental effects of large-scale EV adoption.
Meanwhile, we should not make hostile environments for major employers and industrial players, thereby forcing them to relocate and whole communities to lose their income. Economies are vulnerable. So is climate, so is nature. The key is not ideology, but balance.
Interviewer: What message would you like to share with your audience as your research continues?
Victor Migalchan: Be mindful. Don’t just accept media narratives, business and media influencers, and even scientists. Trust but verify.
Get reputable mentors. Discover how to interpret data on your own. We are lucky to be living in a country that offers us lots of information and tools. When individuals take charge of their knowledge, it results in informed choices, healthier and more peaceful lives.
This investigation is progressing, and I am eager to reveal more findings along the way.
Victor Migalchans method of climate research is a call for readers to change their emotionally driven narratives and return to: data, context, systems thinking, and economic reality. Instead of ideologizing himself, Migalchan sees the climate as a complicated, changing system, one that requires equilibrium, independent thought, and accountability rather than fear, based decision making.
As conversations about climate, energy, and sustainability continue to shape both the policy and our daily lives, people who emphasize fact-checking rather than merely repeating the message may, in fact, increase their influence in the public discourse.
Further investigation of Migalchan’s work, which is still work in progress, gives a new perspective on a theme that affects us all.
