buchholtz, walt
https://www.greenpeace.org/usa/fighting-climate-chaos/climate-deniers/koch-industries/dr-willie-soon-a-career-fueled-by-big-oil-and-coal/
willie Soon plotted to take down the IPCC AR4 before it was even written.
In 2003, as the IPCC was gearing up for the upcoming Fourth Assessment (AR4) due in 2007, Willie Soon began plotting with colleagues about how to undermine the work. As part of the FOIA documents received by Greenpeace, there was a link to Dr. Soon’s documents. That link led to a directory of Dr. Soon’s files at Harvard. Dr. Soon has also referenced these online files in previous articles published by the Competitive Enterprise Institute. In a letter in these files (dated after 10 October) Dr. Soon wrote:
“Clearly they [the AR4 chapters] may be too much for any one of us to tackle them all … But, as A-team, we may for once give it our best shot to try to anticipate and counter some of the chapters, especially WG1—judging from our true expertise in the basic climate sciences …
Even if we can tackle ONE single chapter down the road but forcefully and effectively … we will really accomplish A LOT!
In all cases, I hope we can start discussing among ourselves to see what we can do to weaken the fourth assessment report or to re-direct attention back to science …”
Who was this “A Team”? The letter was addressed to “Bob, Randy, Walter, Sallie and Dave”.
From other correspondence, it seems possible that “Bob” is Australian scepticBob Carter, as Dr. Soon worked with Carter. “Sallie” is clearly Dr. Sallie Baliunas,“Dave” is likely David Legates.
There is no prominent “A-team” type scientist or climate sceptic called Randy – except ExxonMobil’s lobbyist Randy Randol, who was heavily involved with the Exxon-funded deniers. Randol wrote the famous memo to the Bush administration recommending that the then head of the IPCC, Bob Watson, be replaced. (Watson was indeed replaced – by the current chair Rajendra Pachauri. But Pachauri has continued the rigorous scientific work carried out by Watson and has since become the target of deniers.)
Randol was involved in a number of other Exxon plans to undermine climate science, including a plan cooked up in 1998 with other Exxon-funded think tanks to attack the Kyoto Protocol (see his name, bottom of page 4).
Equally, there is no “Walter” in the climate denial field [cunningham?]– except Walt Buchholtz, ExxonMobil’s Government Relations & Issues Advisor, the man responsible for doling out Exxon’s funding grants to deniers and front groups. Buchholtz was listed as a “Government relations advisor” to the Heartland Institute in 2005 (as listed in the Heartland Institute’s 2005 990 IRS form).
Regardless of who these “A Team” members truly were, Willie Soon clearly coordinated a plan to undermine the science chapter of the IPCC’s Fourth Assessment – before he even knew what science it contained. This is a clear example of the climate denier strategy of undermining climate science, and stands in sharp contrast with accepted scientific methodology.
https://www.greenpeace.org/usa/exxon-finally-admits-denialists-cause-problems/
may 2008
Exxon has admitted – for the first time – that the climate deniers it funds are causing problems for action on climate change.
This is a first for the company which has spent, since 1998, $23 million funding the climate denial industry.
And it’s official – Exxon made this statement in this year’s Corporate Citizenship Report, released in time for its shareholder meeting.
The statement reads:
"in 2008 we will distcontinue contributions to several public policy interest groups whose position on climate change could divert attention from the important discussion on how the world will secure the energy required for economic growth in an environmentally responsible manner." (page 41 under "public policy research contributions."
"Could divert attention"? We award Exxon a special prize for the Understatement of the Year. The denial industry can be held responsible for the US’s failure to act on climate. And Exxon has been at the heart of it for more than a decade.
So which groups is Exxon dropping? According to Reuters, gone from the funding list in 2008 are the George C Marshall Institute, the Committee for a Constructive Tomorrow (CFACT), Frontiers of Freedom… and others.
These groups are what you might call the "engine room" of the climate denial industry.
But even Exxon’s walking away from them now.
The company started dropping groups in 2006, with the Competitive Enterprise Institute being the first to go. Last year, it dumped the Heartland Institute, which organised the biggest denial conference for a long time, in New York in March and has been running a slightly ridiculous campaign against Al Gore.
The other groups were all co-sponsors of the Heartland conference which concluded, surprisingly enough, that global warming isn’t happening.
We note that this announcement didn’t come from the usual spokesman from Exxon, Ken Cohen, who chairs the company’s funding committee, but from a new person. Clearly the new CEO Rex Tillerson is trying to shift his company from the poisoned chalice left to him by former CEO and arch denialist, Lee Raymond.
But is cutting nine groups getting the job done?
In short, no. From the 2007 Worldwide Giving Report, posted on Exxon’s website on Friday, we can see that Exxon funded a total of 37 global warming denial groups, to the tune of nearly $2 million, which is pretty similar to 2006. Even cutting nine of them means the company is still funding 28 groups engaged in climate denial.
Tillerson needs to make a much wider sweep if he really wants to shake off Raymond’s legacy – he has started, but we think he should apologise to the global community for the harm his company has caused.
1998 communications strategy groups finally seen off
The latest round of Exxon cuts means an end to the funding of the organisations who gathered together in 1998 to plot a communications strategydesigned to foster public scepticism of climate science and undermine the Kyoto treaty.
The plan was drawn up by a small cabal of groups and companies, including Exxon, Chevron and the big energy provider, the Southern Company, and Fred Singer’s outfit, SEPP. In there were also Frontiers of Freedom and the Marshall Institute, who have both enjoyed Exxon funding ever since.
The memo stated that "Victory will be achieved when:
… average citizens "understand" (recognise) uncertainties in climate science; recognition of uncertainties become part of conventional wisdom;
…"Those promoting the Kyoto Treaty on the basis of extant science appear out of touch with reality."
Well, sorry guys, while you may have achieved a certain level of climate scepticism, the IPCC’s latest report is absolutely clear on the climate science – and governments are acting on it.
Will this stop the denial industry?
Well, no. We note thatWalt Buchholtz, Exxon’s former funding man, left the company and went to work at Heartland for a year. No doubt he helped set up Heartland’s new sources of funding from other members of the business community.
There’s still a ways to go, but it’s a start. When companies like Exxon start questioning this lot, there’s not a lot of people who will continue to support them.