[Vision2020] From RealClimate.org: Climate Cover-Up: The Crusade to Deny Global Warming: A (Brief) Review

[Ted Moffett]

http://www.realclimate.org

 Climate Cover-Up: A (Brief)
Review<http://www.realclimate.org/index.php/archives/2009/10/climate-cover-up-a-brief-review/>
Filed
under:

   - Climate Science<http://www.realclimate.org/index.php/archives/category/climate-science/>
   - Reviews<http://www.realclimate.org/index.php/archives/category/extras/reviews/>

— mike @ 20 October 2009

We often allude to the industry-funded
attacks<http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Climate_change/Related_SourceWatch_Resources#Industry-funded_groups_and_think_tanks_opposing_the_Kyoto_treaty>against
climate change science, and
<http://www.realclimate.org/wiki/index.php?title=RC_Wiki#Alphabetically_.28by_author.29>
the<http://www.realclimate.org/index.php/archives/2009/04/friday-round-up-2/>
dubious<http://www.realclimate.org/index.php/archives/2009/05/moncktons-deliberate-manipulation/>
cast<http://www.realclimate.org/index.php/archives/2009/04/advocacy-vs-science/>
of<http://www.realclimate.org/index.php/archives/2009/03/michaels-new-graph/>
characters<http://www.realclimate.org/index.php/archives/2009/02/what-george-will-should-have-written/>
involved<http://www.realclimate.org/index.php/archives/2006/04/lindzen-point-by-point/>,
here at RealClimate. In recent years, for example, we’ve commented on
disinformation efforts by industry front groups such as
the<http://www.realclimate.org/index.php/archives/2006/05/thank-you-for-emitting/>
“Competitive
Enterprise Institute<http://www.realclimate.org/index.php/archives/2009/06/bubkes/>,
the Cato Institute<http://www.realclimate.org/index.php/archives/2009/03/with-all-due-respect/>,
the Fraser Institute<http://www.realclimate.org/index.php/archives/2007/02/fraser-institute-fires-off-a-damp-squib/langswitch_lang/de/>,
and a personal favorite,
The<http://www.realclimate.org/index.php/archives/2009/04/farewell-to-our-readers/>
Heartland<http://www.realclimate.org/index.php/archives/2008/01/what-if-you-held-a-conference-and-no-real-scientists-came/>
Institute<http://www.realclimate.org/index.php/archives/2008/11/not-the-ipcc-nipcc-report/>,
and by industry-friendly institutions such as the Wall Street
Journal<http://www.realclimate.org/index.php/archives/2005/06/the-wall-street-journal-vs-the-consensus-of-the-scientific-community/>
editorial
board<http://www.realclimate.org/index.php/archives/2007/02/wsj-editorial-board-head-still-buried-in-the-sand/>,
and other media
outlets<http://www.realclimate.org/wiki/index.php?title=RC_Wiki#By_Media_Outlet>that
assist in the manufacture and distribution of climate change
disinformation.

When it comes to the climate change disinformation campaign, we have choosen
to focus on the intellectually bankrupt nature of the scientific arguments,
rather than the political motivations and the sometimes intriguing money
trail. We leave it to others, including organizations such as
SourceWatch.org <http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=SourceWatch>,
the sleuths at DeSmogBlog <http://www.desmogblog.com/>, authors such as Ross
Gelbspan (author of The Heat is
On<http://www.amazon.com/Heat-Climate-Crisis-Cover-up-Prescription/dp/0738200255>,
and The Boiling
Point<http://www.amazon.com/Boiling-Point-Politicians-Journalists-Crisis/dp/0465027628/>),
and edited works such as Rescuing Science from
Politics<http://www.amazon.com/Rescuing-Science-Politics-Regulation-Distortion/dp/0521540097/>to
deal with such issues.

One problem with books on this topic is that they quickly grow out of date.
Just over the past few years, there have been many significant events in the
‘climate wars’ as we have reported on this site. Fortunately, there is a
book out now by our friends at DeSmogBlog (co-founder James Hoggan, and
regular contributor Richard Littlemore) entitled Climate Cover Up: The
Crusade to Deny Global
Warming<http://www.amazon.com/Climate-Cover-Up-Crusade-Global-Warming/dp/1553654854>that
discusses the details of the contrarian attacks on climate science up
through the present, and in painstaking detail. They have done their
research, and have fully documented their findings, summarized by the
publisher thusly:

Talk of global warming is nearly inescapable these days — but there are some
who believe the concept of climate change is an elaborate hoax. Despite the
input of the world’s leading climate scientists, the urgings of politicians,
and the outcry of many grassroots activists, many Americans continue to
ignore the warning signs of severe climate shifts. How did this happen?
Climate Cover-up seeks to answer this question, describing the pollsters and
public faces who have crafted careful language to refute the findings of
environmental scientists. Exploring the PR techniques, phony “think tanks,”
and funding used to pervert scientific fact, this book serves as a wake-up
call to those who still wish to deny the inconvenient truth.

There are interesting new details about the Revelle/Singer/Lancaster
affair<http://rabett.blogspot.com/2007/04/if-richard-lindzen-shows-up-at-your.html>and
other tidbits that were new to me, and will likely to be new to others
who been following the history of climate change contrarianism. Ross
Gelbspan who has set the standard for investigative reporting
when it comes to the climate change denial campaign, had this to say about
the book:

absolutely superb-one of the best dissections of the climate information war
I
have ever seen. This is one terrific piece of work!

There is an important story behind the climate change denial effort that
goes well beyond the scientific issues at hand. Its not our mission at
RealClimate to tell that story, but there are others who are doing it, and
doing it well. Hoggan and Littlemore are clearly among them. Read this book,
and equally important, make sure that others who need to do as well.
 Comments (pop-up) (158) <http://www.realclimate.org/?comments_popup=1345>


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Vision2020 Post: Ted Moffett
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