Desmog Video

Dennis Avery

Dennis Avery and the Hudson Institute

Avery is listed as a "Senior Fellow" for a Washington, DC-based think tank called the Hudson Institute (HI). According to HI's website, Avery "studied agricultural economics at Michigan State University and the University of Wisconsin" and "served as agricultural analyst for the U.S. Department of State."

Frank Luntz, a well-known political strategist, is listed as as "Adjunct Scholar" for HI. Luntz is well known for the "Luntz Memo" which advises the Republican Party that "the Scientific Debate Remains Open. Voters believe that there is no consensus about global warming within the scientific community. Should the public come to believe that the scientific issues are settled, their views about global warming will change accordingly. Therefore, you need to make the lack of scientific certainty a primary issue in the debate, and defer to scientists and other experts in the field."

According to the Tobbacco Legacy database, the Hudson Institute has worked with the tobacco industry on various projects. For example, HI received $150,000 in 1991 from Philip Morris for a "Corporate Public Policy Program."

The Hudson Institute has received $25,00 from ExxonMobil.

Dennis Avery and S. Fred Singer

In 2005, Avery, along with the prolific global warming denier S. Fred Singer, published a book titled "Unstoppable Global Warming Every 1,500 Years," in which they argue that global warming is natural phenomenon.

Dennis Avery and Organic Food

In an April, 1993 Wall Street Journal opinion piece, Avery is cited as claiming that "organic farming would produce more cancer, not less" because "it's hard to get kids to eat shabby-looking produce." In 1999, Avery made similar claims, stating that "[o]rganic is now obviously the deadly choice in food."

According to Sourcewatch, the Hudson Institute has received grants from many companies involved in the argi-business sector, including, Monsanto, Cargill, and CropLife International.