Clearing the PR Pollution that Clouds Climate Science

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The Competitive Enterprise Institute and all that's fit to spin

Here's a clip from a BBC Newsnight interview with Myron Ebell, head of climate change policy at the Competitive Enterprise Institute and John Mitchell, Chief Scientists for the UK Met Office, and a lead IPCC author. The CEI has been ridiculed for months now over their production of two television spots arguing that the build-up of C02 in our atmosphere is a good thing.


Here's some choice Myron quotes, as he tries to spin his way out of the un-spinnable:


Myron: "We tried to make two points with those ads, we first point out the huge, the enormous, almost inconceivable blessings that access to modern energy brings to humanity. And in the second ad we tried to show that the public policy debate is really skewed by a certain small group of scientists, but particularily by the media, who give very large headlines to every piece of research that comes out that supports the alarmist agenda, adn bascially ignores every piece of research that shows that climate change or global warming could have some beneficial effects, or some perfectly neutral effects."

Newsnight: "Although you yourself are not a scientist are you?"

Myron: "Ah, no, and I should make that clear, I am not a scientist."

For the rest of the piece, Newsnight host, Jeremy Paxman rips Myron to shreds. Put your head back in the sand Myron, you're only making yourself and your CEI look even more ridiculous than you already are.

What's next?

About the climate cover-up

About the climate cover-up

Democracy is utterly dependant 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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