Here I'm posting two blog posts written by friend Sally. I wish to say that I completely agree with her research and conclusions. The majority of the so-called "dispute" between scientists about the issue of Climate Change and Global Warming is essentially a pseudo-dispute created by corporate interests. Most of the public learn about this so-called "dispute" in popular science magazines, many of them owned by corporations who have invested interests in the oil industry. The majority of the public does not have access to real scientific journals, in which there is almost a complete unanimity about Global Warming and Climate Change. This issue is almost beyond dispute if it were not for many scientists tied to certain corporations. Sally talks about some of them. Please, read what she has to say. I reproduce her blog posts with her permission.
(Personal Note: The more I study corporations, the more I'm convinced they are dangerous for science.)
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What I Discovered about the "Scientists" Who Dispute Global Warming
A select few have sent me quotes from a book entitled, Unstoppable Global Warming: Every 1,500 Years and are telling me that Al Gore is a fear monger and not telling the truth about global warming. Hmmm. Being the open minded person that I am, I decided to find out about this book and its authors. And this is what I found:
One of the authors, Dennis Avery, isn't even a scientist but was a senior policy analyst for the U.S. State Department and the other, Fred Singer, is a very corrupt scientist at best and well known for taking money "to mislead non-conspirator scientists and policy leaders that bad science comes from industry enemies, whereas, the organizers of this appeal were industry paid deception agents hired to deceive by using fraudulent science." http://www.ecosyn.us/adti/Heidelberg-Appeal.html. Singer was also on a tobacco industry list of people who could write op-ed pieces on "junk science," defending the industry's views.39" [8] - http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=S._Fred_Singer
And here is more on Singer….
Singer and ExxonMobil
According to a January, 2007 report by the Union of Concerned Scientists called Smoke and Mirrors (pdf), Singer is affiliated with no less than 11 think tanks and associations that have received funding from ExxonMobil. Singer's own "Science and Environmental Policy Project" (SEPP) has recieved $20,000 from ExxonMobil.
Singer recently co-authored a global warming denial book called Unstoppable Global Warming, with Dennis Avery, a "Senior Fellow" at an organization called the Hudson Institute, a US think-tank that has received funding from ExxonMobil.
Research and Background
According to a search of 22,000 academic journals, Singer has published 45+ research articles in peer-reviewed journals, mainly on the subject of climate change.
Singer and Big Tobacco
DeSmogBlog reported last year that Singer worked with an organization challenging the claims by the US Environmental Protection Agency that second-hand tobacco smoke is bad for human health.
Singer and the "Leipzig Declaration"
The 1995 "Leipzig Declaration," was a project of Fred Singer's Science and Environmental Policy Project and a group called the European Academy of Environmental Affairs. The Declaration stated that: "there does not exist today a general scientific consensus about the importance of greenhouse warming from rising levels of carbon dioxide."
According to Sourcewatch, when a Danish journalist attempted to contact the 33 European scientists listed on the petition, 12 denied signing the petition and some had not even heard of the Leipzig Declaration. Of those that did admit signing the letter, one was a doctor and another was an expert in flying insects. The Declaration was then revised and many names were removed.
Singer and the infamous "Oregan Petition"
The "Oregon Petition" was organized by Art Robinson and Fred Seitz. Seitz is the Chair of Fred Singer's SEPP project. It's interesting to note that Fred Sietz was also the former medical advisor to RJ Reynolds medical research program. A 1989 Philip Morris memo stated that Seitz was: "quite elderly and not sufficiently rational to offer advice." However, 9 years later, it seems that he was "sufficiently rational" to lead the charge on Robinson's Oregon Petition. It also seems that Seitz is still "sufficiently rational" to sit as the Chair of notorious climate change denier, Fred Singer's, Science and Environmental Policy Project.
The Oregon Petition has been used by climate change deniers as proof that there is no scientific consensus, however they fail to note the controversy surrounding the petition itself. In April 1998, Robinson's Oregon Institute, along with the Exxon-backed George C. Marshall Institute, co-published the infamous "Oregon Petition" claiming to have collected 17,000 signatories to a document arguing against the realities of global warming.
The petition and the documents included were all made to look like official papers from the prestigious National Academy of Science. They weren't, and this attempt to mislead has been well-documented.
Along with the petition there was a cover letter from Dr. Fred Seitz a climate change denier (and big tobacco scientist), who over 30 years ago was the president of the National Academy of Science. Also attached to the petition was an apparent "research paper" titled: "Environmental Effects of Increased Atmospheric Carbon Dioxide". The paper was made to mimic what a research paper would look like in the National Academy's prestigious Proceedings of the National Academy journal. The authors of the paper were Robinson, Sallie Baliunas, Willie Soon (both oil-backed scientists) and Robinson's son Zachary.
The petition was so misleading that the National Academy issued a news release stating that: "The petition project was a deliberate attempt to mislead scientists and to rally them in an attempt to undermine support for the Kyoto Protocol. The petition was not based on a review of the science of global climate change, nor were its signers experts in the field of climate science."
Singer and the "Glacier Story"
In his May 10, 2005 Guardian column, George Monbiot uncovered a story implicating Fred Singer in the spread of misinformation on the state of the world's glaciers. An expanded version of this story made it's way into Monbiot's best selling book, Heat.
To summarize what Monbiot discovered:
Monbiot was researching climate change a couple of years ago and when he became nervous about what he thought was the manipulative nature of the "scientific debate." Then he found a letter by the UK climate change denier David Bellamy in New Scientist magazine. Bellamy reported that "555 of all the 625 glaciers under observation by the World Glacier Monitoring Service in Zurich have been growing since 1980."
This was an interesting – and significant – piece of information. But when Monbiot phoned the World Glacier Monitoring Service, he also found that it was, in their indelicate words: "complete bullshit." Glaciers are retreating around the world.
Monbiot chased all over in search of a source for this information. The claim appeared dozens of times in many different locations – but all trails seemed to lead back to the website of the Science and Environmental Policy Project. That's basically Dr. S. Fred Singer's home page.
When people challenged Singer, he first lashed out, saying Monbiot "has been smoking something or other." But Singer finally conceded, in March 2005, that the information had originated on his site – posted there by "former SEPP associate Candace Crandall." Singer acknowledged that the information "appears to be incorrect and has been updated." "Updated," however, is different than "corrected." You could still find the claim on his website 18 months later.
Singer also failed to mention that the bumbling former associate, Candace Crandall, is his wife.
Now at these two links you can read more about the entire group (all 60) of the so called "scientists" (actually most are NOT) who oppose global warming – http://www.desmogblog.com/node/1478 and http://www.ecosyn.us/adti/Singer-Nightline.html. When journalist David Olinger of the St. Petersburg Times investigated the Leipzig Declaration he discovered that most of its signers have not dealt with climate issues at all and none of them is an acknowledged leading expert. Twenty-five of the signers were TV weathermen - a profession that requires no in-depth knowledge of climate research. Some did not even have a college degree, such as Dick Groeber of Dick's Weather Service in Springfield, Ohio. Did Groeber regard himself as a scientist? "I sort of consider myself so," he said when asked. "I had two or three years of college training in the scientific area, and 30 or 40 years of self-study." Other signers included a dentist, a medical laboratory researcher, a civil engineer, and an amateur meteorologist. Some were not even found to reside at the addresses they had given.
Finally, it's hard for me to believe that anyone could ignore the top scientists (REAL SCIENTISTS) around the world who have done enormous research – some even collected by our own military. I suppose some just don't WANT to believe the awful truth (I can understand that because I don't either) because it means we have to make changes and we all need to DO something. It's easier to just be comforted into believing that everything is OK than to believe the facts. ?? This is the only explanation I can come up with to explain how any rational person can dismiss almost 100% of the scientific research for a handful of corrupt liars. Amazing. Of course, most don't bother to do their own research and why they are easily fooled, too. L I wish America would WAKE UP.
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More on "Scientists" who dispute global warming - from Real Climate Scientists
RealClimate: "Climate Science from Climate Scientists"
http://www.realclimate.org/index.php/archives/2006/11/cuckoo-science/
See excerpt: Cuckoo Science - Two pieces that have recently drawn some attention fit this mould exactly. One by Christopher Monckton (a viscount, no less, with obviously too much time on his hands) which comes complete with supplematary 'calculations' using his own 'M' model of climate, and one on JunkScience.com ('What Watt is What'). Junk Science is a front end for Steve Milloy, long time tobacco, drug and oil industry lobbyist, and who has been a reliable source for these 'cuckoo science' pieces for years. Curiously enough, both pieces use some of the same sleight-of-hand to fool the unwary (coincidence?).
And check out: Bluffers Corner Here: http://www.turnuptheheat.org/?page_id=30
And finally, for a great site uncovering this charlatan science scheme go here: http://www.exxonsecrets.org/
(Personal Note: The more I study corporations, the more I'm convinced they are dangerous for science.)
------------------------------------------------
What I Discovered about the "Scientists" Who Dispute Global Warming
A select few have sent me quotes from a book entitled, Unstoppable Global Warming: Every 1,500 Years and are telling me that Al Gore is a fear monger and not telling the truth about global warming. Hmmm. Being the open minded person that I am, I decided to find out about this book and its authors. And this is what I found:
One of the authors, Dennis Avery, isn't even a scientist but was a senior policy analyst for the U.S. State Department and the other, Fred Singer, is a very corrupt scientist at best and well known for taking money "to mislead non-conspirator scientists and policy leaders that bad science comes from industry enemies, whereas, the organizers of this appeal were industry paid deception agents hired to deceive by using fraudulent science." http://www.ecosyn.us/adti/Heidelberg-Appeal.html. Singer was also on a tobacco industry list of people who could write op-ed pieces on "junk science," defending the industry's views.39" [8] - http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=S._Fred_Singer
And here is more on Singer….
Singer and ExxonMobil
According to a January, 2007 report by the Union of Concerned Scientists called Smoke and Mirrors (pdf), Singer is affiliated with no less than 11 think tanks and associations that have received funding from ExxonMobil. Singer's own "Science and Environmental Policy Project" (SEPP) has recieved $20,000 from ExxonMobil.
Singer recently co-authored a global warming denial book called Unstoppable Global Warming, with Dennis Avery, a "Senior Fellow" at an organization called the Hudson Institute, a US think-tank that has received funding from ExxonMobil.
Research and Background
According to a search of 22,000 academic journals, Singer has published 45+ research articles in peer-reviewed journals, mainly on the subject of climate change.
Singer and Big Tobacco
DeSmogBlog reported last year that Singer worked with an organization challenging the claims by the US Environmental Protection Agency that second-hand tobacco smoke is bad for human health.
Singer and the "Leipzig Declaration"
The 1995 "Leipzig Declaration," was a project of Fred Singer's Science and Environmental Policy Project and a group called the European Academy of Environmental Affairs. The Declaration stated that: "there does not exist today a general scientific consensus about the importance of greenhouse warming from rising levels of carbon dioxide."
According to Sourcewatch, when a Danish journalist attempted to contact the 33 European scientists listed on the petition, 12 denied signing the petition and some had not even heard of the Leipzig Declaration. Of those that did admit signing the letter, one was a doctor and another was an expert in flying insects. The Declaration was then revised and many names were removed.
Singer and the infamous "Oregan Petition"
The "Oregon Petition" was organized by Art Robinson and Fred Seitz. Seitz is the Chair of Fred Singer's SEPP project. It's interesting to note that Fred Sietz was also the former medical advisor to RJ Reynolds medical research program. A 1989 Philip Morris memo stated that Seitz was: "quite elderly and not sufficiently rational to offer advice." However, 9 years later, it seems that he was "sufficiently rational" to lead the charge on Robinson's Oregon Petition. It also seems that Seitz is still "sufficiently rational" to sit as the Chair of notorious climate change denier, Fred Singer's, Science and Environmental Policy Project.
The Oregon Petition has been used by climate change deniers as proof that there is no scientific consensus, however they fail to note the controversy surrounding the petition itself. In April 1998, Robinson's Oregon Institute, along with the Exxon-backed George C. Marshall Institute, co-published the infamous "Oregon Petition" claiming to have collected 17,000 signatories to a document arguing against the realities of global warming.
The petition and the documents included were all made to look like official papers from the prestigious National Academy of Science. They weren't, and this attempt to mislead has been well-documented.
Along with the petition there was a cover letter from Dr. Fred Seitz a climate change denier (and big tobacco scientist), who over 30 years ago was the president of the National Academy of Science. Also attached to the petition was an apparent "research paper" titled: "Environmental Effects of Increased Atmospheric Carbon Dioxide". The paper was made to mimic what a research paper would look like in the National Academy's prestigious Proceedings of the National Academy journal. The authors of the paper were Robinson, Sallie Baliunas, Willie Soon (both oil-backed scientists) and Robinson's son Zachary.
The petition was so misleading that the National Academy issued a news release stating that: "The petition project was a deliberate attempt to mislead scientists and to rally them in an attempt to undermine support for the Kyoto Protocol. The petition was not based on a review of the science of global climate change, nor were its signers experts in the field of climate science."
Singer and the "Glacier Story"
In his May 10, 2005 Guardian column, George Monbiot uncovered a story implicating Fred Singer in the spread of misinformation on the state of the world's glaciers. An expanded version of this story made it's way into Monbiot's best selling book, Heat.
To summarize what Monbiot discovered:
Monbiot was researching climate change a couple of years ago and when he became nervous about what he thought was the manipulative nature of the "scientific debate." Then he found a letter by the UK climate change denier David Bellamy in New Scientist magazine. Bellamy reported that "555 of all the 625 glaciers under observation by the World Glacier Monitoring Service in Zurich have been growing since 1980."
This was an interesting – and significant – piece of information. But when Monbiot phoned the World Glacier Monitoring Service, he also found that it was, in their indelicate words: "complete bullshit." Glaciers are retreating around the world.
Monbiot chased all over in search of a source for this information. The claim appeared dozens of times in many different locations – but all trails seemed to lead back to the website of the Science and Environmental Policy Project. That's basically Dr. S. Fred Singer's home page.
When people challenged Singer, he first lashed out, saying Monbiot "has been smoking something or other." But Singer finally conceded, in March 2005, that the information had originated on his site – posted there by "former SEPP associate Candace Crandall." Singer acknowledged that the information "appears to be incorrect and has been updated." "Updated," however, is different than "corrected." You could still find the claim on his website 18 months later.
Singer also failed to mention that the bumbling former associate, Candace Crandall, is his wife.
Now at these two links you can read more about the entire group (all 60) of the so called "scientists" (actually most are NOT) who oppose global warming – http://www.desmogblog.com/node/1478 and http://www.ecosyn.us/adti/Singer-Nightline.html. When journalist David Olinger of the St. Petersburg Times investigated the Leipzig Declaration he discovered that most of its signers have not dealt with climate issues at all and none of them is an acknowledged leading expert. Twenty-five of the signers were TV weathermen - a profession that requires no in-depth knowledge of climate research. Some did not even have a college degree, such as Dick Groeber of Dick's Weather Service in Springfield, Ohio. Did Groeber regard himself as a scientist? "I sort of consider myself so," he said when asked. "I had two or three years of college training in the scientific area, and 30 or 40 years of self-study." Other signers included a dentist, a medical laboratory researcher, a civil engineer, and an amateur meteorologist. Some were not even found to reside at the addresses they had given.
Finally, it's hard for me to believe that anyone could ignore the top scientists (REAL SCIENTISTS) around the world who have done enormous research – some even collected by our own military. I suppose some just don't WANT to believe the awful truth (I can understand that because I don't either) because it means we have to make changes and we all need to DO something. It's easier to just be comforted into believing that everything is OK than to believe the facts. ?? This is the only explanation I can come up with to explain how any rational person can dismiss almost 100% of the scientific research for a handful of corrupt liars. Amazing. Of course, most don't bother to do their own research and why they are easily fooled, too. L I wish America would WAKE UP.
---------------------------------
More on "Scientists" who dispute global warming - from Real Climate Scientists
RealClimate: "Climate Science from Climate Scientists"
http://www.realclimate.org/index.php/archives/2006/11/cuckoo-science/
See excerpt: Cuckoo Science - Two pieces that have recently drawn some attention fit this mould exactly. One by Christopher Monckton (a viscount, no less, with obviously too much time on his hands) which comes complete with supplematary 'calculations' using his own 'M' model of climate, and one on JunkScience.com ('What Watt is What'). Junk Science is a front end for Steve Milloy, long time tobacco, drug and oil industry lobbyist, and who has been a reliable source for these 'cuckoo science' pieces for years. Curiously enough, both pieces use some of the same sleight-of-hand to fool the unwary (coincidence?).
And check out: Bluffers Corner Here: http://www.turnuptheheat.org/?page_id=30
And finally, for a great site uncovering this charlatan science scheme go here: http://www.exxonsecrets.org/
