Was Global Warming "Controversy" Just A Con Job, Asks ABC

[hatrack]

No! You don't say!

:eyes:

EDIT

Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Ross Gelbspan blames a 15-year misinformation campaign by the oil and coal industries. "The point of this campaign was not necessarily to persuade the public that global warming isn't happening," Gelbspan said. "It was to persuade the public that there is this state of confusion."

A 1998 memo by the American Petroleum Institute said, "Victory will be achieved when … average citizens recognize uncertainties in climate science."

To redefine global warming as theory — not fact — the industry funded research by "friendly" scientists such as Michaels.

EDIT

The industry's influence even extends into the White House — where up until a few months ago a former oil industry lobbyist, Phil Cooney, chief of staff at the White House Council on Environmental Quality, was one of the president's top environmental advisers, editing scientific reports to make global warming seem less threatening. "From now on, we don't have scientists write reports and just take them," said Rick Piltz of the group Climate Science Watch. "We pass them through a White House filter before they're ever published. I mean, that's scandalous."

EDIT

http://www.abcnews.go.com/WNT/GlobalWarming/story?id=1770428&page=1&WNT=true

[madeline_con]

1. "We pass them through a White House filter

:puke:

NASA had a guy assigned to "filter" reports, too.

[BrklynLiberal]

2. The biggest damn con job in the world!!!!!!

[villager]

3. As Harlan Ellison said, the two most common elements

in the universe are hydrogen and stupidity. Anyone with their eyes even half-open could see global warming coming from the 80's onward.

Now we all get to suffer through the glorious consequences of inaction. Let's make sure those Oil Company barons aren't in their underground bunkers when the shit hits the fan for the rest of us.

[glitch]

14. Let's make sure they are.

And then we seal them in. :evilgrin: :spank:

[AlGore-08.com]

4. Gee, why would the American Petroleum Institute think that would work?

[longship]

5. This is very big news.

A major news network covers the possiblity that the oil companies have conspired to oppose responsible science.

Recommended and kicked.
:kick:

[megatherium]

8. A sign that corporate America is becoming concerned by global warming?

The only industry that profits from global warming is the energy industry. A big, powerful industry, to be sure, but only one industry. Insurance companies, agribusiness and other industries realize they're going to be screwed by global warming.

Your typical business executive partied his way through prestigious colleges, taking the minimal amount of science courses required to graduate, then went on for an MBA. So they do not know much about science. I can only imagine their anger when their people start to tell them it's real, because they trusted their oil company pals at the country clubs who said "we've got plenty of oil and coal, and global warming is leftwing environmentalist bullshit."

What are the corporate ownership/linkages for ABC? Disney, of course, but what else do they own?

[AuntiBush]

13. Unbelievable, huh.

Kicked & recommended, too!

[Cassandra]

6. Well, d'uh!

No shit Sherlock. When did this guy wake up and what took him so long?

[rfkrfk]

7. stop asking for more research and 'studies'

the bad guys say more studies are needed
the good guys say more studies are needed

I'm getting kinda tired of studies

when you ask for studies, you give people permission
for inaction

[eppur_se_muova]

9. One more rec for Greatest Page! This needs to get out there!

Of course, we at DU always knew this kind of stuff was going on, but finally someone in the Money$treamMedia is acknowledging that they got the wool pulled over their eyes. This needs all the publicity it can get.

[roseBudd]

10. Memme: The GOP is willing to compromise the health & well being of

tomorrow's children for today's profits.

[AuntiBush]

11. So Let Me Get This Straight.

When average citizens (about 98 percent of us) realize our climate science is filled with uncertainties, it is, according to BIG oil industries a "Victory!?!"

[Dead_Parrot]

12. Welcome to the new world. nt

[AuntiBush]

16. Its Scary...

taking a class right now on globalization. The worse class ever! Prof. claims his connections to *. I could just :puke:

Never, ever thought I'd live to witness these days. Almost glad my family and husband are not here to see this happening.

[RandomKoolzip]

15. "Trust Us, We're Experts!"

That's the name of a book that everyone needs to read, about this very subject.

[AuntiBush]

17. Had not heard of it

Thanks for the tip.

[suziedemocrat]

18. Big Tobacco also said 'no proof ' smoking caused cancer.

[Skinner]

19. "theory — not fact"

Hmmm. Now where have I heard that one before? :eyes:

[Old and In the Way]

20. The Right politicized Global Warming.

It was a way to differentiate "us vs. them". It was a no-brainer because business didn't like the investment they'd need to make to deal with it and the Religious Right saw it as a way to attack science. I'm sure they assumed that it would be gradual enough that it wouldn't be an issue for decades....they were wrong, as usual.