The History of Climate Science Denial and Conservative Think Tanks

Reviewing NC-20 Burton's various claims and researching various strands of his web of deception I came across the following synopsis of a book, "Climate Change Denial Books and Conservative Think Tanks."  It's a revealing one stop look at the history of the Right-Wing "Think Tanks" dirty tricks campaign of deception against rational constructive science and learning.

We The People have a Right to hear what scientists have to explain without the constant shrill onslaught of disinformation, lies and malicious slander.  Here is a scholarly review of the story behind the erection of a faith-based echo-chamber of fantastical thinking that's become seemingly impervious to hearing anything others are trying to explain. 

Currently in the US we are having the scariest elections yet, and I wonder how long will the rational liberal, science appreciating, Earth appreciating crowd continue allowing right wing fanaticism to direct our future?  We all need to get out, get informed, get involved.  Stand up and object to the right wing's willful disconnect from our planet's realities, and remember to vote in November. 

(yeah, yeah, I don't think much of Clinton either but, keeping the Democratic party (which at least accepts serious science and rational dialogue) in the executive office matters most.  I mean, think of the alternative, which will happen if more of us don't engage.  Can you help?)

______________________________________

Climate Change Denial Books and Conservative Think Tanks

Exploring the Connection

Riley E. Dunlap and Peter J. Jacques

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3787818/

Am Behav Sci. 2013 Jun; 57(6): 699–731.

doi:  10.1177/0002764213477096

Abstract

The conservative movement and especially its think tanks play a critical role in denying the reality and significance of anthropogenic global warming (AGW), especially by manufacturing uncertainty over climate science. Books denying AGW are a crucial means of attacking climate science and scientists, and we examine the links between conservative think tanks (CTTs) and 108 climate change denial books published through 2010. 

We find a strong link, albeit noticeably weaker for the growing number of self-published denial books. We also examine the national origins of the books and the academic backgrounds of their authors or editors, finding that with the help of American CTTs climate change denial has spread to several other nations and that an increasing portion of denial books are produced by individuals with no scientific training. It appears that at least 90% of denial books do not undergo peer review, allowing authors or editors to recycle scientifically unfounded claims that are then amplified by the conservative movement, media, and political elites.

Looks like a Consensus!… even to Oil Industry experts!

For all the crazy-making reruns the Republican science denying PR machine has been bombarding the public with since the Paris climate talks, the bottom line remains that their campaign is built on a card-house of lies and character assassination, bound together by the wishful thinking of people who's imagination and curiosity to understand our planet doesn't extend beyond their own self-interested pocket-books.  

The moranos, moncktons, and wattzers have nothing but their paranoia and loathing for others.  Well, they also have an acquiescent equally self-interested public that simply does not want to know about this challenging threat to our way of life.  Thereby making them an easy mark.

As it turns out, in the real world of our physical planet, the things I learned about climate science way back in the seventies turn out to have been quite accurate science that even oil industry experts agreed on.  From my perspective of paying attention to Earth observations since those days, that AGW understanding has been getting reaffirmed by the events of every succeeding year - all the while our right-wing PR machine keeps getting increasingly disconnected from down to earth realities.

Yet, all it takes to unravel the confusion is a bit of honest curiosity, objectivity, self-skepticism, and a willingness to allow the full spectrum of evidence to determine our understanding.  Oh, and a desire to understand our planet's global heat and moisture distribution engine is also a prerequisite!

Back to that consensus of experts who actually understand the fine details of these matters, it seems the understanding was way broader than we've been led to believe.  For that part of this story, I'll let Inside Climate News take over, 
(the following is a teaser, please link to their full article):

"Exxon's Oil Industry Peers Knew About Climate Dangers in the 1970s, Too"

Members of an American Petroleum Institute task force on CO2 included scientists from nearly every major oil company, including Exxon, Texaco and Shell.

by Neela Banerjee, INSIDE CLIMATE NEWS  \   December 22, 2015

The American Petroleum Institute together with the nation's largest oil companies ran a task force to monitor and share climate research between 1979 and 1983, indicating that the oil industry, not just Exxon alone, was aware of its possible impact on the world's climate far earlier than previously known.

The group's members included senior scientists and engineers from nearly every major U.S. and multinational oil and gas company, including Exxon, Mobil, Amoco, Phillips, Texaco, Shell, Sunoco, Sohio and Standard Oil of California and Gulf Oil, the predecessors to Chevron, according to internal documents obtained by InsideClimate News and interviews with the task force's former director.

An InsideClimate News investigative series has shown that Exxon launched its own cutting-edge CO2 sampling program in 1978