Art Robinson

Background

Robinson is the founder of a group called the “Oregon Institute of Science and Medicine” (OISM), which markets, among other things, a home-schooling kit for "parents concerned about socialism in the public schools" and books on how to survive nuclear war.

Robinson Admits He is Not a Climate Scientist

Of his own admission Robinson acknowledges "he has done no direct research into global warming."  And an ISI database search of publications confirms that Robinson has never published any research in the area of human-induced climate change.

Robinson and the Infamous "Oregon Petition"

Robinson's OISM organized and authored the infamous Oregon Petition which collected a supposed 31,000 signatories that denied the existence of man-made global warming.

The Oregon Petition has been used by climate change deniers as proof that there is no scientific consensus, however they fail to note the controversy surrounding the petition itself. In April 1998, Robinson’s Oregon Institute, along with the Exxon-backed George C. Marshall Institute, co-published the infamous "Oregon Petition," claiming to have collected 17,000 signatories to a document arguing against the realities of global warming.

Along with the petition there was a cover letter from Dr. Fred Seitz a notorious climate change denier (and big tobacco scientist), who over 30 years ago was the president of the National Academy of Science. Also attached to the petition was an apparent "research paper" titled "Environmental Effects of Increased Atmospheric Carbon Dioxide."

Petition Intentionally Misleading

The petition and the documents included were all made to look like official papers from the prestigious National Academy of Science. They weren’t, and this attempt to mislead has been well-documented.

The paper mimiced what a research paper would look like in the National Academy’s prestigious Proceedings of the National Academy journal. The authors of the paper were Robinson, Sallie Baliunas, Willie Soon (both oil-backed scientists) and Robinson’s son Zachary.

With the signature of a former NAS president and a research paper that appeared to be published in one of the most prestigious science journals in the world, many scientists were duped into signing a petition based on a false impression.

The petition was so misleading that the National Academy issued a news release in complaint, stating that "The petition project was a deliberate attempt to mislead scientists and to rally them in an attempt to undermine support for the Kyoto Protocol. The petition was not based on a review of the science of global climate change, nor were its signers experts in the field of climate science."

Oregon Petition and Big Tobacco

It’s interesting to note that Fred Seitz, the author of the cover letter, was also the former medical advisor to RJ Reynolds medical research program. A 1989 Philip Morris memo stated that Seitz was "quite elderly and not sufficiently rational to offer advice."

However, 9 years later, it seems that he was “sufficiently rational” to lead the charge on Robinson’s Oregon Petition. It also seemed that Seitz was  “sufficiently rational” to sit as the Chair of notorious climate change denier, Fred Singer’s, Science and Environmental Policy Project (SEPP).

Frederick Seitz passed away on March 2, 2008.

Oregon Petition and the Spice Girls

According to the May 1998 Associated Press article, the Oregon petition included names that were intentionally placed to prove the invalid methodology with which the names of scientists were collected.

The petition included the names of "Drs. 'Frank Burns' 'Honeycutt' and 'Pierce' from the hit-show M*A*S*H and Spice Girls, a.k.a. Geraldine Halliwell, who was on the petition as 'Dr. Geri Halliwel' and again as simply 'Dr. Halliwell.' "

When asked about the fake names, Robinson is quoted as saying: "When we're getting thousands of signatures there's no way of filtering out a fake."

Robinson and the Heartland Institute

Robinson is listed as a "global warming expert" by the Heartland Institute, a Chicago-based free market think tank that has received significant funds from the oil and tobacco industries. 

Robinson is also a regular speaker at the Heartland Institute's International Conference on Climate Change, having been a key speaker at the most recent 2010 conference.  The annual conference gathers climate change skeptics from across the globe to spread their campaign of misinformation.

DeSmogBlog found that the sponsors for the 2009 International Conference on Climate Change had received a collective $47 million from oil companies and right-wing foundations.  Heartland itself has received at least $676,500 from oil giant ExxonMobil, although they no longer disclose their funding sources. 

Robinson and Inhofe's List

Robinson appears on Senator James Inhofe's list of "prominent scientists" who dispute the existence of man-made global warming.  In a debunking of the list, Robinson was found to be one of 70 so-called "scientists" who have no background in climate science.

In the past, Senator Inhofe has received some of the highest levels of campaign contributions from energy companies of any senator.