Inoculate yourself | Liars for Hire | THEY knew | Just a Cycle? Um, no. | Press | Mankiw | Tillerson | Sheldon | CCL on NatGeo (trailer)
“A skeptic will question claims, then embrace the evidence. A denier will question claims, then reject the evidence.” — Neil deGrasse Tyson
The well-funded climate denial machine spins a web of denial through various
front groups.
For background on The Heartland Institute and groups like them see:
How did all this come about? Merchants of Doubt (above) tells the story very well.
So does this PBS Frontline special featuring Dr. Katharine Hayhoe.
We've known about human-caused climate disruption for a very, very long time. So has the fossil fuel industry.
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14 August 1912 edition of the Rodney and Otamatea Times, Waitemata and Kaipara Gazette, a New Zealand newspaper included a brief item headlined “Coal Consumption Affecting Climate”: The furnaces of the world are now burning about 2,000,000,000 tons of coal a year. When this is burned, uniting with oxygen, it adds about 7,000,000,000 tons of carbon dioxide to the atmosphere yearly. This tends to make the air a more effective blanket for the earth and to raise its temperature. The effect may be considerable in a few centuries. |
The fossil fuel industry commissioned some of the earliest studies. Not liking the news, they decided to redirect their funding into misinformation campaigns. The allure of short-term profits trumped the prospect of long-term climate disaster that might affect our entire planet.
This 1962 ad boasts how they could melt 7 million tons of glacier every day. (Humble Oil merged with Standard to become Exxon)
For over 200 years, scientists knew that altering the atmosphere would alter our climate.
Over 250 years ago, Jean-Baptiste Joseph Fourier knew...
Jean Baptiste Fourier published numerous studies indicating his understanding of the greenhouse effect, how CO2 in our atmosphere traps radiant heat from the sun. Scientists understood the climate 150 years ago better than the EPA head today | John Abraham | Environment | The Guardian
165 years ago, Eunice Foote knew...
60 years ago, we knew.
In 1958, sea level rise in Miami is prominently mentioned in
"this 2-minute clip from the 1959
"Unchained Goddess," produced by Frank Capra and BELL Laboratories.
1965 - “This report unquestionably will fan emotions, raise fears, and bring demand for action... The substance of the report is that there is still time to save the world's peoples from the catastrophic consequence of pollution, but time is running out.” — Frank Ikard, President of the American Petroleum Institute
1977 - Exxon's own scientists warn managment: Burning fossil fuels will warm our
planet. Company understood the science before it became public knowledge, spent
millions to promote misinformation.
Percentage of Climate Change presented as real and human caused by ExxonMobil, 1977-2014
In fact, Exxon's predictions were amazingly accurate. (Thanks to Dana Nuccitelli for this observation.) 20-second video
1988
- Just 30 years ago, NASA's Dr. James Hansen
warned Congress - World's most famous climate scientist (and CCL Advisory
Board member) famously testified before Congress about the dangers of continued
CO2 emissions, warning that we should not exceed 350 parts per million of CO2
in our atmosphere. We’re now close to 400ppm, and climbing. The last time
it was this high, humans didn’t exist and sea levels were nearly 100’
higher.
1991
- ‘Shell
knew’: oil giant's 1991 film warned of climate change danger
1998
- Shell
Predicted It Would Be Sued Over Climate Crisis
1998
- Mobil
chief acknowledged climate change issue 20 years ago
2008
- Just 12 years ago, Republicans took a sane position on climate change. Hear
prominent Republicans explain concerns about global warming. Republican Sanity: bit.ly/repsan
2009
- Exxon CEO, Rex Tillerson said the company supported a price on carbon. This
is ExxonMobil’s public "position" today. Shell Oil on carbon
pricing: ‘‘The transition to low-carbon solutions is best underpinned
by meaningful government-led carbon pricing mechanisms.’’ But their actions don't match their words, as indicated by their lack of lobbying effort. See Sheldon Whitehouse
above.
2019 - J.P. Morgan Chase CEO, Jamie Dimon says a carbon tax is needed to hasen a shift of capital from dirty fuels, clean solutions.
2019 - Following massive fires in California and Australia, and over twenty storm events costing A BILLION-DOLLAR or more U.S. Chamber declares: INACTION IS NOT AN OPTION
2020 - U.S. Chamber of Commerce publicly announces its support for an economy-wide market-based policy to reduce GHGs. (strongly suggests a carbon tax)
2020 - Business Roundtable: There are several ways to implement a market-based emissions reduction approach .... any such approach, must include placing a price on carbon.
2021 - The American Petroleum Institute endorsed a price on carbon emissions, marking a major shift after the trade group long resisted regulatory action on climate change.
The U.S. Military and
intelligence community knows: Principled
conservatives know: The investment
community knows: The White House knows!
Years of Living Dangerously is National Geographic's award-winning climate
change series, aired in 171 countries.
Their segment on Sea Level Rise in Miami is called SAVING MIAMI: bit.ly/savingmiami
Their segment on the work of Citizens' Climate Lobby on Capitol Hill: bit.ly/cclnatgeo
This significant excerpt from the first episode of "Years of Living Dangerously" in 2014 introduced Dr. Katharine Hayhoe to the world.
Dr. Katharine Hayhoe
- This is all just a part of a natural cycle, right? -
Wrong. They all have alibis
Global warming requires a global solution. Here it is. The #1 most effective policy would draw down emissions faster and more efficiently than regulations could ever achieve. It's a policy based on conservative economic principles of limited government and market signals. It is the perfect alternative to expensive, top-down, ineffective regulations coupled with a patchwork of subsidies. bit.ly/mankiwclc
bit.ly/CLCplan - Climate Leadership
Council's 'Carbon Dividends' plan (also see S4CD.org
- Students for Carbon Dividends)
bit.ly/tillerson - Rex
Tillerson called for "refundable greenhouse gas emissions fee..."
...while his industry was under threat of Cap & Trade. Now their talk doesn't
match their actions.
http://bit.ly/pricevoices - Look
who's asking for a carbon tax.
Citizens' Climate Lobby's carbon fee & dividends plan (full
info page: bit.ly/CCLplan)
Visit For more resources on carbon pricing and plenty of voices of reason: hamra.net/priceit
With Citizens' Climate Lobby. Join the weekly INFO SESSION, every Wed. 8pm.
Watch National Geographic's documentary featuring the work of Citizens'
Climate Lobby on Capitol Hill
from the award-winning series, Years of Living Dangerously:
bit.ly/cclnatgeo (top)
This "false equivalency faceoff" was covered by a number of publications; local and national:
View Tweets and photos from this "false equivalency faceoff" – (Top)
