DeSmogBlog has hit New York City for the Heartland Institute's climate change denial-a-palooza [1] to mingle with the conspiracy theorists, industry parrots, puzzle-makers, scientists for hire and those who just can't let go of their flat-earth ways.

First stop registration, where I received a big bag of think tank propaganda, including a copy of Fred Singer's book Unstoppable Global Warming, a John Christy DVD produced by the Center for the American Experiment [2] and a recording of Christopher Monckton's [3] lecture, Apocalypse? No.

And what conference grab bag wouldn't be complete without a copy of the "Summary for Policymakers: Non-governmental International Panel on Climate Change," produced by Fred Singer's Science and Environmental Policy Project. Singer's report opines:

We regret that many advocates in the debate have chosen to give up debating science and now focus almost exclusively on questioning the motives of 'skeptics,' name calling and ad hominem attacks. We view this as a sign of desperation on their part, and a sign that the debate has shifted towards climate realism."

Desperation? More like exasperation.

Maybe tomorrow I'll find out what science Singer is referring to. As far as ad hominem, I'll assume he's referring to sites like DeSmogBlog [4] that regularly and rightly point out the industry interests that promote the views of Singer and many of the others who will present at this conference - the most prolific being oil-giant ExxonMobil, who a little birdie told me isn't touching this conference with a 60-foot pole.

Stay tuned...

Here's a list of briefing notes [5] we've done on the presenters.