They call this science?
One of the mantras of the left is that of monetary influence. Not just the Koch brothers: New study reveals funders behind the climate change denial effort is an example of just how ridiculous the effort can get to try to prove the point. The stimulus here is a research paper in sociology.
“A new study conducted by Drexel University’s environmental sociologist Robert J. Brulle, PhD, exposes the organizational underpinnings and funding behind the powerful climate change countermovement. This study marks the first peer-reviewed, comprehensive analysis ever conducted of the sources of funding that maintain the denial effort.”
A key item of suspicion is the obsession with Koch Industries and ExxonMobil. But what’s the flaw? Consider:
“To uncover how the countermovement was built and maintained, Brulle developed a listing of 118 important climate denial organizations in the U.S. He then coded data on philanthropic funding for each organization, combining information from the Foundation Center with financial data submitted by organizations to the Internal Revenue Service. The final sample for analysis consisted of 140 foundations making 5,299 grants totaling $558 million to 91 organizations from 2003 to 2010.”
“118 important climate denial organizations” ? That is a big number, especially since there is no organization that has “climate denial” as its primary banner. The suggestion is a typical guilt by association effort that plays games with definitions and terms. Another consideration is the money involved. A half billion is peanuts compared to what is being spent to promote climate alarmism – it’d barely pay for the ‘research’ grants that keep a few of the key players employed.
But, this is the sort of thing that is paraded as important and meaningful in support of allegations of impropriety on the part of those who ask questions and don’t fall into lockstep with the human created climate alarmism. It shouldn’t pass the laugh test but that is of no concern to those who are desparate to find anything that they can use to rationalize their beliefs.