Wednesday, March 31, 2010

Climate change denial

When you live somewhere like Minnesota where winter is a major fact of life, climate change is pretty damn obvious.  In fact, even those of us who are VERY concerned about climate change joke that in Minnesota, global warming has been "berry, berry good to us."  Shortening our winters by six weeks still leaves us with a LONG winter.

Interestingly, one of the first scientists who predicted climate change as a result of rising CO2 levels was a 19th century Swede named Svante Arrhenius who also thought that a warmer climate would make places like Sweden more comfortable.

I happen to believe the science is pretty settled and straightforward.  Nevertheless, there are an astonishing number of folks who have their doubts.  Well, it turns out many of those doubts have been bought and paid for by some right-wing Kansas cranks.
Greenpeace Unmasks Koch Industries' Funding of Climate Denial Industry
Brendan DeMelle
Koch Industries has “become a financial kingpin of climate science denial and clean energy opposition,” spending over $48.5 million since 1997 to fund the climate denial machine, according to an extensive report today by Greenpeace. 
The Greenpeace report reveals how Koch Industries and the foundations under its control spent far more than even ExxonMobil in recent years to fund industry front groups opposed to clean energy and climate policies. Koch spent over half the total amount -nearly $25 million - funding climate denier groups from 2005 to 2008, a period in which Exxon only spent $8.9 million. more

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