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Clearing the PR Pollution that Clouds Climate Science

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Institute of Public Affairs

Institute of Public Affairs

Global Warming Deniers Part Ways: Australian Institute of Public Affairs Says Goodbye to Jennifer Marohasy

The Center for Media and Democracy PR Watch reports that an Australian corporate funded think tank, the Institute of Public Affairs (IPA) is not renewing the contract for Jennifer Marohasy, one of its Senior Fellows and a global warming skeptic.

The news is actually somewhat surprising. IPA is a right-wing, corporate funded think tank with close ties to the Liberal Party of Australia (which is actually on the political right). Its Executive Director John Roskam is a former Howard government staffer and one of the organization’s key positions is to refute the science on issues such as climate change. A position that Marohasy promoted with vigor during her six-year tenure at IPA, though not all of her attempts to spread global warming denial came to fruition.

"I had great hopes for the planned collaboration between the IPA and University of Queensland on evidence-based environmentalism but the University proved too timid and conservative – at least for me." - JenniferMarohasy.com

Marohasy has also left her position as Executive at the Orwellian named Australian Environment Foundation (AEF), which was established to help protect timber interests in Australia and founded by the IPA. The former Executive Director of the IPA described the AEF as “pro-biotechnology, pro-nuclear power, pro-modern farming, pro-economic growth, pro-business and pro-environment." That last pro might be questionable.


Read more: Global Warming Deniers Part Ways: Australian Institute of Public Affairs Says Goodbye to Jennifer Marohasy

What's next?

Inhofe's last stand

Sources are telling DeSmog that on Dec. 6th a last and final attack on climate change science and the media will be mounted by Sen. James Inhofe, outgoing chair of the Envrionment and Public Works Committee .

For his final committee comedy act, Inhofe has proposed an interesting line-up of witnesses, all of them, unsuprisingly, close to the fossil fuel industry-backed war on science. First up will be Dr. Bob Carter an Australian who's affiliations include the fossil fuel industry friendly (and funded) Institute of Public Affairs. Second up is David Deming, an "adjunct scholar" for the National Centre for Policy Analysis...


Read more: Inhofe's last stand

What's next?

Melbourne Age: Damned When Praise is Faint

IPA's Alan MoranAs if in punishment for an idle compliment that I posted only yesterday, the usually reputable Australian daily, the Melbourne Age, embarrasses itself today with a piece by Alan Moran, director of the Australian Institute of Public Affairs (IPA) deregulation unit.
We have written before on the IPA's status as a mining and energy industry front group. The Age, like so many credulous newspapers, should be ashamed of itself for publishing this kind of confusing and scientifically suspect material from industry backed lobbyists who are presenting themselves as climate change experts.

Read more: Melbourne Age: Damned When Praise is Faint

What's next?

Another questionable friend of the Friends of Science

In our continuous quest to debunk the debunkers, the DeSmogBlog has uncovered another questionable connection between an oil company funded front group and the Alberta-based Friends of Science.

Thanks to a helpful tip from one of our fans, and a little of our own digging, we have found that one of the signatories to a recent Friends of Science letter to PM Harper is Australian climate change “skeptic” Dr. Bob Carter. Dr. Carter is connected to the energy sector funded think tank, the Institute of Public Affairs (IPA).

Read more: Another questionable friend of the Friends of Science

What's next?
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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.

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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