Who’s behind the bogus climate ‘science’ campaign?
An article in today’s Washington Post calls attention to the latest industry front group of climate-change deniers. According to the Post, the men behind the campaign are H. Leighton Steward, a veteran oil industry executive and Corbin J. Robertson Jr., chief executive of and leading shareholder in Natural Resource Partners, a coal resource owner that lets other companies mine in return for royalties.
At first glance, their group “CO2 Is Green” seems almost laughable. These folks claim in high-profile television and newspaper ads that:
- “higher CO2levels than we have today would help the Earth’s ecosystems and support more plant and animal life,”
- “more CO2 results in a greener Earth,” and
- “CO2 is not pollution.”
It would be laughable—if it weren’t so dangerous. These folks are peddling pseudo-science and asking the public to contact their Senators in hopes of scuttling the upcoming Senate climate and energy bill.
The scientific debate over the reality of global climate change should have been over long ago. Evidence has mounted for decades that the carbon dioxide and other harmful gases we have been pouring into the atmosphere since the Industrial Revolution are harming our planet. If we don’t take quick, dramatic action to limit CO2 pollution, the harm could well be irreversible.
A recent interagency report, Global Climate Change Impacts in the United States, aggregates some 500 peer-reviewed scientific studies and paints an alarming picture of what will happen to every region and economic sector of society if we do not act decisively to limit carbon dioxide and other harmful gases that are wreaking havoc on our planet.
We owe it to ourselves—and our children—to become better educated about the real science of climate change, and to do all we can to convince our policy makers to pay attention.
photo: The image above is a shot from the CO2 is green TV ad. Really.
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Sam Goldman
Sam has been with The Wilderness Society since Fall 2007. He came most recently from M+R Strategic Services in Washington, DC where he worked with national environmental groups to improve their online campaign work and field organizing capacity. Before that, Sam was the Assistant National Field Director for U.S. PIRG where he covered a variety of issues including the fight to protect the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.
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I think the real problem is that there has always been something that we needed to fix. First it was the Rain Forrest, that must be ok now because we don't hear anything else about it. Then there was global cooling. Did we warm it up too much? I am sure you can see where it is not only the oil and coal people who are questioning. casino online
CO2 is green
Yeah! I saw this ad on CNN the other day and my jaw literally dropped to my chest. I couldn't believe how completely obtuse it was. So... what are we doing about it?
Misleading the Public by Misrepresenting Science.
One of the most conniving and ugly tactics used by "clean coal" and other industries is false propaganda masked as "science". By either falsely claiming science is on their side or by suppressing and twisting the real science that would prove and expose their falsehoods, these corporations and lobbyists are only looking at their bottom line at the expense of all Americans and our shared environment. There IS a paper trail in these types of campaigns, and if an example can be exposed like the tobacco industry's cover-up and manipulation of scientific data... heads should roll and fines and serious time behind bars should be the result! These dastardly villains bent on indoctrinating a generally scientifically illiterate population know they are committing crimes to further their financial gains and flout the will of the people. They should be held liable for all the damage done, individually and societally. THAT would tend to end these kinds of problems here and now!
NOT PROVEN YET!
The devotees of the religious cult of man made global warming happily accept dodgy and doctored scientific claims made by supporters of their religious beliefs but are first in line to rubbish any arguments either real or imagined that have the audacity to challenge their unshakeable belief that once again "THE END IS NIGH" and it's all our fault.
I was taken in by the seemingly convincing scientific 100% absolute concensus of every climate expert on the earth today, a truth pedalled by such eminent experts in the field such as AL GORE (Is he a respected climatologist or a spin meister with a bee in his bonnet?)
Bearing in mind that i remember the doomsayers absolutely scientifically proven, no doubt, its a cast iron certainty prediction of a forthcoming ice age, coupled with the leaked emails and numerous challenges from "real climatologists" that challenge the fanatics I'm not sure.
The measures suggested to remedy a very big "MAYBE" can potentially drive us all back into the dark ages (Mind you the Mediaeval warming period that has been erased from our history might mean the new dark age will be even hotter) is too big a price to pay until each group of scientists debate openly and without bias in the full gaze of those who are being asked to make the sacrifice.
THE JURY IS STILL OUT! THE CASE IS NOT PROVEN!