Exclusive:Climate skeptic group has extensive ties to ExxonMobil..Nearly $50m on lobbying in last yr

[kpete]

Source: Raw Story

Group promoting climate skepticism has extensive ties to Exxon-Mobil

By Sahil Kapur
Thursday, December 3rd, 2009 -- 10:22 am
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Group promoting climate skepticism has extensive ties to Exxon MobilA group promoting skepticism over widely-accredited climate change science has a web of connections to influential oil giant Exxon-Mobil, Raw Story has found.


The organization is called the Nongovernmental International Panel on Climate Change (NIPCC), apparently named after the UN coalition International Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). An investigation into the group reveals its numerous links to Exxon-Mobil, a vehement opponent of climate legislation and notorious among scientists for funding global warming skeptics.

...................

"Exxon-Mobil essentially funds people to lie," Joseph Romm, lauded climate expert and author of the blog Climate Progress, told Raw Story. "It's important for people to understand that they pay off the overwhelming majority of groups in the area of junk science."

...............

Heartland has received at least $676,500 from Exxon-Mobil since 1998, the year Exxon launched a campaign to oppose the Kyoto Treaty, according to official documents of the two groups that have been compiled and reproduced by the website ExxonSecrets.org. Also, the institute's self-described Government Relations Adviser Walter F. Buchholtz has been a lobbyist for Exxon-Mobil, the Washington Post reported in 2004.

The study's two principal authors and NIPCC leaders S Fred Singer and Craig D Idso are both associated with various organizations that have gotten generous funding from Exxon-Mobil.

Read more: http://rawstory.com/2009/12/climate-skeptic-group-nipcc-extensive-ties-exxonmobil/

[notesdev]

1. Drop in the bucket

compared to the $79B governments have spent to promote global warming.

[neverforget]

3. So you agree with Sen Ihofe, Beck, Hannity, Limbaugh, etc?

[karynnj]

6. He has all the same talking points

[hootinholler]

24. What do you expect from an ID that indicates they are a Slotus Bloats developer?

:shrug:

-Hoot

[karynnj]

5. Link please

You ignore the intent to deceive by the look alike name. You who was so concerned yesterday with the implications of words, versus their meaning. They are not promoting global warming, which they aim to halt. In addition, there is no education effort that I have heard of.

[bergie321]

10. That is a big number.

Until you compare it to the profits that oil, coal, and other polluters make in a single year.

[Kali]

22. interesting

you've been one of the main deniers in every thread I have looked at on climate change issues
and I am really bad at remembering usernames and/or connecting them to subjects

[notesdev]

23. I don't even care about this issue for the most part

It's primarily the grievous damage to the economy which makes me mad about it, with so many people out of work and struggling to eat. It's like Warmers live on a completely different planet, and are totally indifferent to the suffering of real people, in favor of their fictional TEOTWAWKI scenarios.

Secondarily I hate frauds and cheats and that is exactly what is going on here.

And third I have nothing but a middle finger for nosy busybodies who want to tell other people what to do and how to behave (especially when they're flying their private jets around the world to spread their message of hypocrisy).

[karynnj]

25. You don't care, but you have hundreds of posts on every thread about this

How many posts do you have on things you care about?

As to not caring about people out of work or impoverished, how do you justify your statement that people who would like the country to deal with global climate change don't actually work to help the people who are suffering. I know many people who care about both - and actually act to help people.

In addition, Kerry and Boxer, the two Senators most identified with it both have excellent records on doing things to help people who need it. Kerry has been the sponsor of Youthbuild for decades and has plenty of legislation that helps with healthcare, housing and other needs. His wife, Teresa has used her foundation to provide healthcare for those in need in 4 cities - http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=433x35318 )

I have yet to find a single post of you praising a single Democrat. I dought that Russ Limbaugh, who is making the same points as you, does not help the poor.

[notesdev]

26. Only because you keep begging for my responses

and keep posting FUD propaganda. If the run-up to Copenhagen weren't accompanied by increasingly frequent and hysterical TEOTWAKI predictions, I would have kept my peace. If the reactions to the UEA CRU documents weren't so disingenuous, I would have kept my peace.

And in fact, I did just that until the latest avalanche of corporate-funded Warmer propaganda.

>I have yet to find a single post of you praising a single Democrat

Obviously you aren't looking very hard. I regularly post in praise of Democrats like Kucinich, Grayson, Brad Sherman, Marcy Kaptur, and (not Democrat but may as well be) Sen. Bernie Sanders. I was praising Grayson well before you even knew he existed.

Hell, just yesterday I posted "Sanders for President" when he put the hold on Bernanke's confirmation.

But I'm not terribly surprised you didn't find it, given the very solid track record you have of seeing only what you want to see.



On the one hand, you Warmers complain that I don't respond in detail to each and every post made to me (even though many are repeats of previous posts). On the other I get accused of being paid to post. There's no satisfying you people other than complete submission to your hysterical propaganda and displaying unswavering devotion to your religion.

[karynnj]

27. I'm sorry that I did not do an updated search of your comments

I did it once - weeks ago, to try to see where you were coming from. Then most of your comments were in the economics forum. That you knew of Grayson before me is highly likely. I am not impressed by him and thing that he is actually counterproductive.

Please link to any propaganda that I have posted. As to your obnoxious comment on "religion" - you likely have a higher percent of your comments on AGW than I do.

PS What happened to the 30% slide in the market you predicted within 3 months last August?

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

2. I'm shocked...shocked!

[DavidDvorkin]

4. You could pay for a lot of online denialism posts with that kind of money!

[karynnj]

7. Might explain why the comments sections on EVERY article are

clogged by posts from disbelievers. Some are clearly repeating RW talk show talking points and they are likely not paid.

[ensho]

8. down with the Barons! and their payoff money

nt

[villager]

9. And the surprise here would be...?

thanks for posting, btw...

[Ghost Dog]

11. Yeah, and here's another one, apparently (cf. Monckton):

February 18, 2008
ExxonMobil Deliberately Misled Blogosphere About Funding Global Warming Denialists

Yesterday's post on ExxonMobil (2/17/08) highlighted that it had funded the Frontiers of Freedom and its Center for Science and Public Policy (CSPP link ) during 2006, contrary to its claim that it was not funding global warming denialists. You may wonder about the context in which ExxonMobil made this claim.

/continues... http://lawprofessors.typepad.com/environmental_law/2008/02/exxonmobil-de-1.html

"The whistleblower deep in the basement of one of the ugly, modern tower-blocks of the dismal, windswept University of East Anglia could scarcely have timed it better.

In less than three weeks, the world’s governing class – its classe politique – would meet in Copenhagen, Denmark, to discuss a treaty to inflict an unelected and tyrannical global government on us, with vast and unprecedented powers to control all once-free world markets and to tax and regulate the world’s wealthier nations for its own enrichment: in short, to bring freedom, democracy, and prosperity to an instant end worldwide, at the stroke of a pen, on the pretext of addressing what is now known to be the non-problem of manmade “global warming”".

- Monckton - Why, sounds exactly like poster #1 above.

[Overseas]

12. K&R. Exxon Mobil has led the way in cooking up climate change denial.

First major exposure in 2005:

Forty public policy groups have this in common: They seek to undermine the scientific consensus that humans are causing the earth to overheat. And they all get money from ExxonMobil.
http://motherjones.com/environment/2005/05/some-it-hot

Then Exxon Mobil did a PR effort to say it was scaling back such activities, but

Despite Pledge, ExxonMobil Still Funding Climate Change Deniers

— By Josh Harkinson
| Wed Jul. 1, 2009 1:26 PM PDT

ExxonMobil isn't just in denial about climage change, it's in denial about its own denial. Despite a pledge in 2008 to discontinue contributions to groups "whose position on climate change could divert attention" from the need for clean energy, the company went right on funding them, the Guardian reports.

Recently released company records reveal that ExxonMobil handed over $75,000 that year to the National Center for Policy Analysis in Dallas, Texas and $50,000 to the Heritage Foundation in Washington, DC. Both NPCA and Heritage oppose siginficant action on climate change and question whether global warming is a threat.

Given ExxonMobil's past behavior, it's easy to see how the company might have a tough time going cold turkey. In 2005, Mother Jones broke the story that ExxonMobil gives millions of dollars to think tanks, researchers, and media figures to produce and promote phony science purporting to debunk global warming (check out the handy charticle). A few months later, ExxonMobil vowed to "soften" its public image, earning headlines such as "Exxon cuts ties to global warming skeptics" and "ExxonMobil Softens its Climate Change Stance." http://motherjones.com/blue-marble/2009/07/despite-pledge-exxonmobil-still-funding-climate-change-deniers

AND FROM THE GUARDIAN:

ExxonMobil continuing to fund climate sceptic groups, records show

Records show ExxonMobil gave hundreds of thousands of pounds to lobby groups that have published 'misleading and inaccurate information' about climate change

* David Adam, environment correspondent
* guardian.co.uk, Wednesday 1 July 2009 16.51 BST

http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2009/jul/01/exxon-mobil-climate-change-sceptics-funding

*

[Blue_Tires]

13. BIG shocker there...

[roberto]

14. And how much gain for those who promote global warming ?

I'm fed up about this argument !!!!

I know skeptics whom are climate experts and they do not live in gold !!

Actually, if you write climate change, global warming, impact in a proposal, you're sure to get funded. And if you want to investigate natural variability, you're not funded. You're not even published and moreover unconsidered. Most people tend to ignore, that there's natural variability, which is a natural part of climate. Suddenly it happens that climate seems to be due only to global warming. Non sense !!

And there's big companies in it, in the other side too. Which is good indeed. But the argument is not correct.You're accusing skeptics because they receive money from Exxon, and around the world most of the researchers actually receive money just when they write the magic words (climate change, global warming etc) in it. And it is not simply 80 millions !! Actually each trend, each rainfall, everything is related to global warming... My dog dies, ahhhhh it's climate warming. My wife gets pregnant... Oahu that climate warming ! (surely :-).

The ants close to the house change their pattern ...mmm that's surely related to global warming. And so on,, so on..

You'll see Big surprises in the future, just because all this has been much exaggerated by some.

[supernova]

15. Except that

ExxonMobile has a vested interested in things remaining exactly as they are. It's in their best interest to cloud the climate change debate as much as they can.

All of us on the planet should be calling them out on it.

What a pity of Exxon went the way of Enron. Who would morn? You?

Certainly not me.

Enjoy your stay.

[roberto]

17. ok, but the argument is not correct given the other side

Ok. I mean, there's no justice on earth (exxon, bush, obama in afghanistan (by the way) and so on), and hopefully climate experts are saving the planet. Ok. But you should handle with the same respect those who are also climate experts and do not see much global warming -co2 relationship. They do not live in gold, and there's a lot of research that you do not see in the IPCC 2007, or much that is not said ... whatever they say...: natural variability ... remember that, plays 50% 50% with the trend ... and within the trend there's also other cycles ... remember that ...

The good thing is that with this, conscience about our changing and fragile planet evolutes. People get more interested in pollution, etc etc. And all this is good. Finally natural justice has won.

[supernova]

19. There isn't a reliable scientist on this earth

worth her or his salt who says the climate changes happening now are not related to human activity.

You really should consider the source you seem to respect.

[muriel_volestrangler]

16. No, the big companies all make their billions of dollars of profits from fossil fuel

Exxon, BP, Shell, coal and gas companies - these are many times the size of any profits from producing wind turbines or solar panels. The corporate profits are overwhelmingly on the side of denying that climage change is happening, or denying that it's a problem.

You're wrong, basically.

[roberto]

18. Ok.

[fascisthunter]

20. gain? Life on a planet.

that's a bit more important than an oil companies profit, dontcha think? The article proves there are efforts by an energy company to lie about global warming, yet you imply the same 'could' be true of the whole scientific global community? Do you realize how silly your question is?

[fascisthunter]

21. face it, righties.... you got duped by oil companies....

lol

[superconnected]

28. My gosh, who'd have though the big oil compaines would pay tens of millions to distort facts.

I bet a whole bunch of Palin fans are in shock right now.

[Uncle Joe]

29. Here is what the debate to curtail the catastrophe of global warming climate change is up against,

of course in addition to Exxon, the Chamber of Commerce was and may still be opposed to averting this human/industrial magnified worldwide crisis. Greed worshiping, short term profit, myopia with no long or even mid term vision.

<snip>

"Exxon-Mobil has spent more money lobbying Congress in the last two years than any enterprise other than the Chamber of Commerce, dishing out $29 million in 2008 and over $20 million so far in 2009 to legislators. It's among the top 10 biggest spenders of lobbying cash since 1998, according to the Center for Responsive Politics."

<snip>

Thanks for the thread, kpete.:thumbsup: