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Glenn Beck

Glenn Beck

Norwegian Terrorist Anders Breivik Reveals Climate Denial Influences

TO followers of the climate change policy debate, the extreme conspiratorial rhetoric is all too familiar:

Climate change is a hoax. Environmentalists are just communists in disguise. The United Nations is using efforts to cut greenhouse gas emissions as a smokescreen for installing a world government. Greenies are actually reds. Eco fascists want your freedom.

Such rhetoric is daily bread for many neo-conservative commentators, some climate change deniers and even the occasional elected representative. The language is divisive, often becomes abusive and – regrettably – has become a feature of the manufactured debate over the risk posed by human-caused climate change.

The manifesto of Norwegian terrorist and Christian fundamentalist Anders Behring Breivik, currently facing trial for the massacre of 76 people, shows what can happen when the unhinged take the language of the far-right to its ultimate ends.

In the 1500-word document, published online under his Anglicised name Andrew Berwick before the brutal bombing and shootings in Norway, Breivik reveals a hatred for Islam and socialism.

But the manifesto also echoes the beliefs of many climate change deniers and cites the work of Lord Christopher Monckton, Alex Jones and Steve McIntyre.


Read more: Norwegian Terrorist Anders Breivik Reveals Climate Denial Influences



David Koch Denies Climate Change, Appears Bewildered When Asked About Citizens United by ThinkProgress

Lee Fang from ThinkProgress had the chance to conduct an impromptu interview with billionaire polluter magnate David Koch of Koch Industries last week in Washington.  Despite the best efforts of Americans For Prosperity president Tim Phillips to end the interview by pestering Fang and his cameraman continously, Fang succeeds in getting Koch to answer several questions.  In part one, Koch acknowledges there are “some extremists” in the Tea Party, but that most of them are “normal people like us” - where “us” equals the handful of people worth $21.5 billion or more.

In part two, when asked about Americans For Prosperity’s work to confuse public understanding of climate change, and about his own grasp of climate change science, David Koch delivers a barely comprehensible response demonstrating his need to brush up on the usual climate denier arguments.

FANG: Why does Americans for Prosperity focus so much on the science of climate change? I’m just curious why they spread so much information that denies the existence of climate, of global warming?

KOCH: Well… I think it’s uh, regulating CO2 excessively is going to put — uh really damage the economy.

FANG: Do you believe in climate change yourself, Mr. Koch?

KOCH: Climate does fluctuate. It goes from hot to cold. We have ice ages.

FANG: But do you believe carbon pollution affects climate change? [Koch shrugs]

Watch:


Read more: David Koch Denies Climate Change, Appears Bewildered When Asked About Citizens United by ThinkProgress



NYT's Krugman: Slamming the Fantasy World of Glenn Beck

For others who missed Paul Krugman column from last Thursday’s New York Times, it’s worth a look. Krugman nails the Fox fantasist Glenn Beck for quoting reports that he can’t produce. Krugman says:

Thus, last week Glenn Beck — who seems to be challenging Rush Limbaugh for the role of de facto leader of the G.O.P.— informed his audience of a “buried” Obama administration study showing that Waxman-Markey would actually cost the average family $1,787 per year. Needless to say, no such study exists.”

You really have to wonder who’s inspiring Beck to make this stuff up.


Read more: NYT's Krugman: Slamming the Fantasy World of Glenn Beck



CNN's Glenn Beck confused over "global" warming concept

MSNBC's Keith Olbermann named CNN host Glenn Beck as his runner-up for the "worst person in the world" after Beck made the claim that the hottest year in global history was 1934.

Olbermann:

Glenn Beck in trying to deny global warming, told his sheep that the hottest year in global history was 1934 - actually 1934 was the hottest year in American history, whereas the globe, where all of us live, the hottest year was 2005, followed by 1998, 2002, 2003, 2006. I mean I know facts aren't mandatory in what you do, but isn't it embarrassing when you get them wrong every night."

On a technical note (a very minor one), according to NOAA, the organization charged with officially monitoring US surface temperatures, the hottest year on record in the United States is still 1998. Minor point though, because as we all know, expect for maybe Glenn Beck, it's called "global warming," not "American warming."

Read more: CNN's Glenn Beck confused over "global" warming concept



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Help us clear the PR pollution that clouds climate science.

About the climate cover-up

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.

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