Clearing the PR Pollution that Clouds Climate Science

Desmog Video

You need Flash player 8+ and JavaScript enabled to view this video.


 



Hi Heartland, it's DSBlog, are you there??

DeSmog Debate Challenge

 

 

As regular DSBlog readers know, late last week we issued a challenge to debate whether smoking is bad for you to the Chicago-based "Heartland Institute."

 

The challenge eminates from a global warming debate challenge issued by Heartland last week to former Vice-President Al Gore and Heartland's continued activities downplaying the harmful effects of second-hand tobacco smoke.

After initial reaction from a commenter on DSBlog purporting to be Heartland's very own James Taylor (you can find his lenghty rant here), we have heard nothing. Come on, we've even made a poster.

What's next?

Correcting Errors

Thanks for correcting the inaccurate posting concerning Heartland’s position on tobacco issues, and directing people to the essay summarizing my views on the subject. Concerning Lord Monckton’s challenge to Al Gore to debate him over the science of climate change, you should note that The Heartland Institute isn’t challenging Gore to debate, Lord Monckton is. We just heard about the challenge and decided to run ads letting other people know about it. I suppose we’ll run them until Gore agrees to debate one of his most notable critics. Concerning your counter-challenge, to have some unnamed person debate me on the proposition, “smoking is bad for you, really,” it wouldn’t be much of a debate since I don’t claim smoking isn’t “bad for you.” A life-time of smoking will take 6 or 7 years off your life expectancy. I suggest you check my position statement again, at http://www.heartland.org/Article.cfm?artId=10594, or my recent collection of essays, “Please Don’t Poop in My Salad,” at http://www.heartland.org/books/poop.cfm, and then perhaps rephrase the challenge. How about, “Should Cities Support Smoking Bans?" That would be the same topic Bronson Frick, associate director of the American Nonsmokers Rights Foundation, and I debated on December 6, 2005, before an overflow crowd of more than 100 people at the National League of Cities annual meeting, in Charlotte, North Carolina. Joseph Bast President The Heartland Institute

.



And Al Gore is still afraid to debate.

Afraid??

Yes, I am absolutely certain that Gore is "afraid" to debate Monckton. He knows this is just a petty little trap by a think tank grasping desperately at remaining relevant. Even the Competitive Enterprise Institute is getting out of the denial business

About the climate cover-up

About the climate cover-up

Democracy is utterly dependant 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.

SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER

Like what you read here? Get our top five stories in your inbox every week. » here's a preview
Enter your email and subscribe now!

Desmogblog monthly
book give-away

Enter now to win this month’s book Anthony Barnosky's Heatstroke: Nature in an age of global warming

CHECK IT OUT

Join One of DeSmog's Facebook Groups Today!

Join One of DeSmog's Facebook Groups Today!
Did you know DeSmog has some very active Facebook Groups? Check them out:

Friends of DeSmogBlog

The Arctic Front

The Environment is My Voting Issue in Canada

Expedition Earth

Member of the Progressive Bloggers Network

MEMBER OF THE PROGRESSIVE BLOGGERS NETWORK

Progressive Bloggers