Joseph Bast

 Credentials

Bast studied Economics as an undergraduate at the University of Chicago. According to Sourcewatch, he did not complete his degree.

 Background

Bast, along with David M. Padder, founded the Heartland Institute in 1984.  He currently serves as the institute's president and CEO. 

Bast is also the publisher of Heartland’s monthly periodical, Environment and Climate News as well four other like-minded publications. 

Bast studied economics as an undergraduate at the University of Chicago.  He is the author of several books promoting free-market solutions to different public policy problems including Eco-sanity: a common sense guide to environmentalism. 

Stance on Climate Change

Bast claims that most scientists believe that human activity has no appreciable effects on the climate, citing a 17,000-name petition run by the Oregon Institute of Science and Medicine. 

Hee claims that there has been no global warming trend, citing temperature readings of the past 23 years. 

Also, using co-relational data, he says that increased global warming has in fact been responsible for the increased prosperity in western nations in the 20^th century.

Key Quotes

"Concern over 'global warming' is overblown and misdirected. What follows are
eight reasons why we should pull the plug on this scam before it destroys
billions of dollars of wealth and millions of jobs.

1. Most scientists do not believe human activities threaten to disrupt the
Earth's climate[…]

2. Our most reliable sources of temperature data show no global warming trend[…]

3. Global climate computer models are too crude to predict future climate
changes[…]

4. The IPCC did not prove that human activities are causing global warming[…]

5. A modest amount of global warming, should it occur, would be beneficial
to the natural world and to human civilization[…]

7. Efforts by state governments to reduce greenhouse gas emissions are even
more expensive and threaten to bust state budgets[…]

8. The best strategy to pursue is 'no regrets.' The alternative to demands
for immediate action to 'stop global warming' is not to do nothing.[…]" [4]
  

Key Deeds

As the president and CEO of the Heartland Institute, Bast helped organize and introduce the first (March 2008), second (March 2009), third (June 2009), fourth (May 2010), fifth (Oct 2010), and sixth (June 2011) international conferences on climate change. 

June 21, 2005

Testified before the Pennsylvania House of Representatives Committee on Environmental Resources and Energy, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania on the  “Cost of Greenhouse Gas Control” (PDF). [1]

1995

Wrote and designed a series of six brochures on environmental issues for distribution to elected officials, journalists, and other audiences. [1]

1989

Wrote, co-directed, and co-produced a 20-minute video titled Coming Out of the Ice.  The video covered a variety of public policy issues such as tort reform, privatization, school reform, and taxes. [1]

 Affiliations

• The Heartland Institute – President and CEO, Board of Directors 1990 – current.

•  Nomos Press Inc. — Board of Directors, 1983 - 1988. 

• State Policy Network — Founding Director, officer, and member of the executive committee, 1991-1997. 

• Advocates for Self-Government — Board of Advisors, 2003 – current.

• Illinois Policy Institute — Board of Advisors, 2004 – current. 

• Center for Medicine in the Public Interest — Board of Advisors, 2005 – current. 

• American Conservative Union — Board of Directors, 2007 – current.

• Grassroot Institute of Hawaii — Board of Scholars. [3]

Source: [1]

 Publications

Bast is the coauthor of 12 books, including Rebuilding America's Schools (1990), Why We Spend Too Much on Health Care (1992), Eco-Sanity: A Common-Sense Guide to Environmentalism (1994), and Education & Capitalism (2003). [1]

He has not published any articles in peer-reviewed journals on the subject of climate change. A list of his books, publications, and policy studies is available at his profile at the Heartland Institute.

 Resources

1. "Joseph L. Bast - 2008 Resumé." The Heartland Institute.

2. "The Heartland Institute," SourceWatch.

3. "Staff and Board Members: Joseph L. Bast," Grassroot Institute of Hawaii.

4. Joseph Bast. "Eight Reasons Why Global Warming is a Scam" (PDF), The Heartland Institute, February 1, 2003.

5. "Joseph Bast," SourceWatch.