It seems that the professional pasts of some members of Canadian climate change spin machine “Friends of Science” go well beyond the oil and gas industry.
Dr. Fred Seitz, listed as a member of the Friends of Science at the inaugural oil industry funded Ottawa kick-off, has admitted to helping tobacco giant RJ Reynolds spread out million of dollars in health research grants during the 1970’s and 80’s. Seitz’s role was to assist Big Tobacco in creating the illusion that there was still some debate over whether tobacco was a proven danger to health.
Which coincidentally is the same PR technique that Friends of Science is using to delay action on climate change; creating the public perception of a scientific debate in order to undermine support for the Kyoto accord or for any real public policy action.
Same techniques. Same experts And, we would argue, same degree of credibility.
Democracy is utterly dependent upon an electorate that is accurately informed. In promoting climate change denial (and often denying their responsibility for doing so) industry has done more than endanger the environment. It has undermined democracy.
There is a vast difference between putting forth a point of view, honestly held, and intentionally sowing the seeds of confusion. Free speech does not include the right to deceive. Deception is not a point of view. And the right to disagree does not include a right to intentionally subvert the public awareness.
This is a guest post by Pam Martens, cross-posted with permission from Wall Street On Parade.
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