Sunday, May 27, 2012

Climate change denial running out of energy?

The problem with most ideologies is that at some point, reality intrudes and either the ideology must change or the ideologists must somehow suppress the evidence that the facts on the ground do not support them any longer.  When the subject is climate change, the facts just keep piling up and so those who claim otherwise are forced to become ever more shrill and absurd.  In today's example, an organization called Heartland Institute put up a billboard comparing those who accept the science of climate change to the Unibomber only to discover that the number of rich denial nutjobs is finite and even they aren't nutty enough to want to be associated with public moves like that.

Unfortunately, because sowing doubt is SO much easier than building a program for meaningful action, the collapse of the Heartland Institute won't get a sustainable society built.  Making fun of fools is easy—building something better is very hard!

Heartland Institute in financial crisis after billboard controversy

Heartland president admits advertisment comparing believers in human-made climate change to psychopaths has taken a toll
Suzanne Goldenberg US environment correspondent
guardian.co.uk, 23 May 2012

The ultra-conservative Heartland Institute admitted it was in financial crisis on Wednesday, with the flight of corporate donors making it difficult to pay staff or cover the costs of its annual conference aimed at debunking climate science.

In a speech at the close of this year's climate conference, Heartland's president, Joseph Bast, acknowledged that a provocative ad campaign comparing believers in human-made climate change to psychopaths had exacted a heavy cost.

However, Bast also attributed Heartland's current problems to his weakness in financial management.

"These conferences are expensive, and I'm not a good fundraiser so as a result I don't raise enough money to cover them. We really scramble to make payroll as a result to cover these expenses," Bast said.

"If you can afford to make a contribution please do. If you know someone, if you've got a rich uncle or somebody in the family or somebody that you work with, please give them a call and ask them if they would consider making a tax-deductible contribution to the Heartland Institute."

The organisation has lost at least $825,000 in funds from corporate donors although Heartland also claims to have attracted 800 new small donors. Heartland also came in for bruising criticism from its own allies – a number of whom faulted Bast for failing to consult Heartland's colleagues or board members about the ads in advance.

Among ultra-conservative activists, the billboard controversy has shaken confidence in Heartland's ability to serve as the hub of the climate contrarian network. It has also raised doubts about Bast's leadership. Bast is listed on Heartland's website as its earliest employee. His wife is also employed at Heartland.

But Heartland was facing a cash crunch even before the Gleick expose.

Nine employees were due to be laid or take pay cuts in 2011, according to the budget documents obtained by Gleick.

This year's conference was a drastically shrunken version of earlier Heartland gatherings, which attracted up to 800 attendees and ran several concurrent sessions. Those events were also lucrative for Heartland, accounting for half of its non-fundraising events revenue, according to documents obtained through deception by the scientist Peter Gleick.

At this year's gathering in Chicago, fewer than 170 turned up for the gala opening banquet, and the conference only managed to eke out one session at a time, and brought in relatively few outside speakers. more

1 comment:

  1. The deniers have done a disservice to America, their flat earth science has caused our country to miss out on the GREATEST business opportunity of our lifetime...which now is poised to go to China (and virtually every other country with real science and modern business) while America turns back to the gilded age science lessons.

    To anyone who considers themself a businessman, or a scientist, or an engineer, or a construction worker, or an appliance repairman...this is your moon-shot and you are blowing the opportunity. You are dooming yourself to be the horsemen boulding carriages and tending stables while the Germans, Norwegians, Chinese, et al are designing and building Mercedes-Benz rocketships.

    Fear machine? Here is your fear machine, where you and your neighbors no longer have jobs because they all moved out of the country while you denied yourself this opportunity because it involved change and hard work.

    "Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work." Thomas A. Edison

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