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Tags: climate change conference new york, climate skeptics conference, Heartland Institute, Joseph Bast

Joseph Bast

Joseph Bast and the Heartland Institute

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

Bast’s beliefs regarding global warming

Bast makes several claims that run in opposition to mainstream scientific consensus. First, he 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. Second, he 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.

The Heartland Institute

The Heartland Institute is a free-market think tank based out of Chicago. Most notable for its support of the tobacco lobby, in recent years it has taken up the mantle of the environment. The institute is home to several global warming “skeptics” and is the sponsor of several studies that have aimed to debunk the "myth" of global warming. According to their website, the institute’s goal is “to discover and promote free-market solutions to social and economic problems." Between 1998 and 2005, the organization received $561 500 from Exxon Mobil, as well as over $200 000 from tobacco company Philip Morris in the 1990s.

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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