Climate Koch up.

[Blind groper]

A news report (New Zealand Herald 26 January) implicates American brothers Charles and David Koch as billionaire donors to an anonymous donor trust, to feed millions of dollars into a climate change denial program. Is this corruption or what? Those guys have major shares in the fossil fuel industry, and their support of climate change denial can only be seen as a cynical and callous attempt to become traitors to generations to come, in the interests of their own wealth in the here and now.

The Koch family pay their money to a trust called the Knowledge and Progress fund, which pays on the money to The Donors Trust, to keep identities secret, and fund the climate denial industry. To make things totally ridiculous, these donations are tax deductible!

A sociologist, Dr. Robert Bruile, at Drexel University in Philadelphia, has claimed that 500 million dollars has been fed to organisations determined to undermine the science of climate change. The Donors Trust is passing money to the American Enterprise Institute, which is currently being sued by Dr. Michael Mann (eminent climate scientist) for claiming that Mann committed scientific fraud.

[Ian]

Would not surprise me in the least.

[Jason]

What's the problem? So the opposition to AGW will be stronger. Big deal. Surely this only means climatologists will have to sharpen their pencils and check their weather stations a bit more to rebut the denialist claims thus advancing the science.

[Blind groper]

Faku

It makes a big difference to the world we live in. The opposition to action on climate change has led to the USA dragging its feet on any mitigating effort against global warming. It is almost Republican Party policy to oppose any such action. The long term consequences of such delays may be seriously nasty in the future.

[Ian]

Bingo. This influences public opinion, which influences public policy. The abilities of scientists to influence public opinion isn't quite as powerful, for obvious reasons.

One stat I saw recently: 48% of US Republicans believe in climate change. 68% believe in demonic possession.

[Blind groper]

One stat I saw recently 68% believe in demonic possession.

The only demons are the demons of ignorance and stupidity that possess those republicans.

[macdoc]

Watch the video http://www.realclimate.org/index.php/ar ... -of-doubt/

and understand the depths of deception fostered by the denier industry led by Koch and Exxon.

[FBM]

Yeah, bullshit like this only muddies the water and slows progress. Rich fuckers only care about making more $$$. Twats.

[Jason]

I don't think so. Science thrives in adversity. It can only speed progress and help create a robust body of evidence which is undeniable.. unless.. well.

As for confusing the common person, there's not much to be done about that. Science is about 'truth', not propaganda. Rebut propaganda with robust, undeniable, evidence.

[JimC]

A news report (New Zealand Herald 26 January) implicates American brothers Charles and David Koch as billionaire donors to an anonymous donor trust, to feed millions of dollars into a climate change denial program. Is this corruption or what? Those guys have major shares in the fossil fuel industry, and their support of climate change denial can only be seen as a cynical and callous attempt to become traitors to generations to come, in the interests of their own wealth in the here and now.

The Koch family pay their money to a trust called the Knowledge and Progress fund, which pays on the money to The Donors Trust, to keep identities secret, and fund the climate denial industry. To make things totally ridiculous, these donations are tax deductible!

A sociologist, Dr. Robert Bruile, at Drexel University in Philadelphia, has claimed that 500 million dollars has been fed to organisations determined to undermine the science of climate change. The Donors Trust is passing money to the American Enterprise Institute, which is currently being sued by Dr. Michael Mann (eminent climate scientist) for claiming that Mann committed scientific fraud.

As appalling as it is, I don't think it is corruption in the true sense of the word, which involve a potentially criminal action. They are making self-interested propaganda on a large scale, and not being transparent about the underlying motivation. It's a good illustration of the way our society allows money and power to self-perpetuate, but it's not technically corrupt.

[FBM]

I don't think so. Science thrives in adversity. It can only speed progress and help create a robust body of evidence which is undeniable.. unless.. well.

As for confusing the common person, there's not much to be done about that. Science is about 'truth', not propaganda. Rebut propaganda with robust, undeniable, evidence.

You think the majority of the public is going to make the effort to decipher complex scientific facts instead of going for the easy, comforting rhetoric provided by the deniers?

[Jason]

I think it's a moot point. Deniers gonna deny. Lots of people are still denying the theory of evolution.

[FBM]

No, they're not.

[Tyrannical]

What's the problem? So the opposition to AGW will be stronger. Big deal. Surely this only means climatologists will have to sharpen their pencils and check their weather stations a bit more to rebut the denialist claims thus advancing the science.

Very few climatologists have the needed math and physics backgrounds to make any predictions besides hot air. I'd trust an expert climatologist about as much as I'd trust an expert astrologer.

[Clinton Huxley]

The "Knowledge and Progress Fund"? How terribly Orwellian.