The Wall Street Journal recently opened up their editorial pages for noted climate change denier David Deming, allowing him to publish a “call to action” for the dirty energy industry.
In his op-ed, Deming says that the fossil fuel industry could learn a thing or two from the NRA about how to become an effective, powerful lobbying force. Deming believes that the effectiveness of the NRA is due to their ability to stand in solidarity with one another, whereas the fossil fuel industry is operating under a “every man for himself” mentality.
It is worth noting that the Wall Street Journal did not disclose the fact that Deming is a member of conservative think tanks that receive significant funding from the dirty energy industry, including Koch Industries and Exxon Mobil.
From Deming’s op-ed:
Fossil-energy companies could learn a thing or two from the gun lobby. The gun industry is tiny compared with theirs, yet it is among the most respected and powerful groups that lobby Congress.
After the horrific school shooting in Newtown, Conn., Wayne LaPierre, CEO of the National Rifle Association, didn't budge an inch. He never agreed to the premise that firearms were inherently evil. Instead, he went on television and suggested that putting armed guards in schools might be an effective way of stopping evil. In other words, he refused to cede the moral high ground.
Deming, who in the past has claimed that the science behind climate change is “pseudo-scientific mumbo-jumbo,” has presented an argument that is a clear fallacy. Not only is he misrepresenting the facts, but he has made conclusions that cannot be proven.