Self-Interested Corporations push Global Warming and Climate Change Denial
Step 1: Corporate PR (Follow the Money!)
The Global warming and Climate Change denial cycle begins at an obvious place: money. Without an initial influx of cash behind the promotion of skepticism and denial it is possible our other steps might not exist. This cash mostly comes from corporations, whether directly or through special interest groups and political action committees (PACs).
Why do companies want to promote global warming and climate change denial?
Before we explore how they promote denial, we should look at why. In most cases it’s a simple cost-benefit situation: Many companies have a lot to lose directly if solutions to global warming and climate change are put in place, given that they have sunk costs as far as gas and oil pipelines, distribution methods, and production facilities that would all make less money or in some cases be unneccessary if carbon usage caps were put in place, alternative energy sources were more fully developed, or conservation efforts picked up steam. These companies also get a lot of government subsidies for their industries, subsidies that could be in jeopardy if the government turned on the industry that was causing global warming. The bottom line is that many companies have decided that putting money into promoting denial and skepticism is well worth the investment given how effectively this money works in the cycle we explore here.
How do corporations accomplish these climate change denial campaigns?
So how do comapnies accomplish these denial campaign? Often all it takes is a Google search. When you come across an article that prominently mentions a researcher who has a theory that disproves global warming, or that supposes that climate change has nothing to do with human activities, it can sometimes be as simple as using a search engine to look up that scientist and how his or her research is being funded. In many cases you will find that the people who funded the study in question, or even the people who are funding the vast majority of that agenciy’ s work, have a stake in the outcome. When you do look at the funding for these researchers you may find the names of big oil companies, large land developers, industrial production companies, and others who would be hurt by regulations to manage the problem of global warming.
We feel that it is often more powerful to ask that people look these connections up, rather than having us post all of them. That way the reader can see that we are not being biased in presenting this concern. So we ask the reader to do their own research, such as:
First look up the thoughts and conclusions of:
Global Warming “Researchers”: S. Fred Singer, Craig Idso, Keith E. Idso, Sherwood Idso, Patrick Michaels and Robert Balling
Climate Change Groups: The Science and Environmental Policy Project, The Center for the Study of Carbon Dioxide and Global Change.
If you do look these people and groups up, you will see that what they say about global warming and climate change presents sometimes compelling reasons for skepticism. Now realize that all of the above received funding from ExxonMobil and that most of their conclusions not only do not hold up when tested independently or when their scientific methods are questioned. In fact, in some cases these scientists just mention theories and the research behind them is either non-existent or impossible to look into.
Bottom line: Corporate cash and global warming denial
The science behind global warming and climate change is settled, both the fact that the earth is warming and the fact human activities are the cause. Thousands of scientists, including a vast majority who have no financial stake in the issue agree on this. However, the solutions remain controversial and, to some businesses and industries, scary due to their potential price tag and effect on the bottom line. As we have postulated elsewhere, it appears that many of those who are worried about the effect of the solutions are spreading denial as a preemptive strike, whether or not they truly realize that global warming is happening. They do not want to take the chance that once the public realizes the extent of the problem they may be in favor of expensive solutions. One way they do this if funding scientists who are willing to ignore appropriate scientific methods and truly unbiased experimental designs because their own greed matches that of the corporations.
Just because corporations spend money trying to push global warming and climate change denial does not mean that these campaigns will work. As with any PR campaign, a receptive audience is needed, and a level of coordination and organization is key. These two steps are next in our exploration of the Global Warming Denial Cycle. The next step is organizing this PR into a set of coherent, even if false, myths that are well-organized and often repeated. On to Step 2: Propagation of Myths.