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Clearing the PR Pollution that Clouds Climate Science

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Heartland Institute's Reportage is an Unethical Pruning of Facts

In a recent and misleading post, the Heartland Institute quoted a report by the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to argue that there is no corelation between recent hurricane activity and climate change.

In a triumph of spin, Heartlands reported - accurately - that the NOAA study could establish no link between global warming and the increased hurricane frequency of recent years. But the Heartlands spinmeisters conveniently ignored the increasing consensus that there IS a link between climate change and the increased intensity of those frequent hurricanes.

The best and most recent evidence of the latter came from Massachusets Institute of Technology hurricane physicist Kerry Emanuel, who published a study on this issue in the scientific journal Nature, in August of last year.

In a presentation to a meeting of the American Geophysical Union in San Francisco in December, Emmanual also took a moment to criticize the NOAA for trying to muzzle its scientists on this issue - from which comments he earned a rousing ovation from his scientific colleagues.

 


For more on the who's who of the climate denial industry, check out our comprehensive climate deniers research database.

 

What's next?

About the climate cover-up

About the climate cover-up

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.

Although all public relations professionals are bound by a duty to not knowingly mislead the public, some have executed comprehensive campaigns of misinformation on behalf of industry clients on issues ranging from tobacco and asbestos to seat belts.

Lately, these fringe players have turned their efforts to creating confusion about climate change. This PR campaign could not be accomplished without the compliance of media as well as the assent and participation of leaders in government and business.

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