ThinkProgress
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http://www.<b>sourcewatch</b>.org/index.php?title=ThinkProgress
<b>thinkProgress</b> at ThinkProgress.org is a project of the nonpartisan <a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/Center_for_American_Progress_Action_Fund" title="Center for American Progress Action Fund">Center for American Progress Action Fund</a>.<sup id="cite_ref-AboutTP_0-0" class="reference"><a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=ThinkProgress#cite_note-AboutTP-0">[1]</a></sup>
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<table id="toc" class="toc"><tbody><tr><td>
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<h2><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Contents</font></h2>
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<ul><li class="toclevel-1 tocsection-1"><a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=ThinkProgress#Mission"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><span class="tocnumber">1</span> <span class="toctext">Mission</span></font></a></li><li class="toclevel-1 tocsection-2"><a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=ThinkProgress#Personnel"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><span class="tocnumber">2</span> <span class="toctext">Personnel</span></font></a></li><li class="toclevel-1 tocsection-3"><a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=ThinkProgress#Contact_information"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><span class="tocnumber">3</span> <span class="toctext">Contact information</span></font></a></li><li class="toclevel-1 tocsection-4"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=ThinkProgress#Resources_and_articles"><span class="tocnumber">4</span> <span class="toctext">Resources and articles</span></a>
</font><ul><li class="toclevel-2 tocsection-5"><a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=ThinkProgress#Related_SourceWatch_articles"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><span class="tocnumber">4.1</span> <span class="toctext">Related SourceWatch articles</span></font></a></li><li class="toclevel-2 tocsection-6"><a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=ThinkProgress#References"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><span class="tocnumber">4.2</span> <span class="toctext">References</span></font></a></li><li class="toclevel-2 tocsection-7"><a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=ThinkProgress#External_articles"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><span class="tocnumber">4.3</span> <span class="toctext">External articles</span></font></a></li></ul>
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<h2> <span class="mw-headline" id="Mission"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Mission</font></span></h2>
<p><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">ThinkProgress states on its website that it is:</font></p>
<ul><li><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Fighting For:</font></li></ul>
<dl><dd>
<ul><li><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Social and Economic Justice</font></li><li><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Healthy Communities</font></li><li><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Global Leadership</font></li><li><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">A Secure America</font></li></ul>
</dd></dl>
<ul><li><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Fighting Against:</font></li></ul>
<dl><dd>
<ul><li><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Corrupt Establishment</font></li><li><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Incompetent Establishment</font></li><li><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Braindead Media</font></li><li><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Radical Right-Wing Agenda</font></li></ul>
</dd></dl>
<h2> <span class="mw-headline" id="Personnel"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Personnel</font></span></h2>
<p><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">The following are ThinkProgress staff members.<sup id="cite_ref-AboutTP_0-1" class="reference"><a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=ThinkProgress#cite_note-AboutTP-0">[1]</a></sup></font></p>
<ul><li><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Faiz Shakir, Editor; Research Director at the <a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/Center_for_American_Progress" title="Center for American Progress">Center for American Progress</a></font></li><li><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Amanda Terkel, Deputy Editor; Deputy Research Director at the Center
for American Progress; Deputy Editor for The Progress Report</font></li><li><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Satyam Khanna, Research Associate for The Progress Report and ThinkProgress.org at the Center for American Progress</font></li><li><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Matt Corley, Research Associate for The Progress Report and ThinkProgress.org at the Center for American Progress</font></li></ul>
<h2> <span class="mw-headline" id="Contact_information"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Contact information</font></span></h2>
<p><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Email: thinkprogress AT americanprogressaction.org
URL: <a rel="nofollow" class="external free" href="http://thinkprogress.org/">http://thinkprogress.org/</a>
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<h2> <span class="mw-headline" id="Resources_and_articles"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Resources and articles</font></span></h2>
<h3> <span class="mw-headline" id="Related_SourceWatch_articles"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Related SourceWatch articles</font></span></h3>
<ul><li><a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/Bloggers" title="Bloggers"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000">bloggers</font></a></li></ul>
<h3> <span class="mw-headline" id="References"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">References</font></span></h3>
<ol class="references"><li id="cite_note-AboutTP-0"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">↑ <sup><a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=ThinkProgress#cite_ref-AboutTP_0-0">1.0</a></sup> <sup><a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=ThinkProgress#cite_ref-AboutTP_0-1">1.1</a></sup> <span class="reference-text"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://thinkprogress.org/about">About,</a> <i>Think Progress</i>, accessed August 31, 2007.</span></font></li></ol>
<h3> <span class="mw-headline" id="External_articles"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">External articles</font></span></h3>
<ul><li><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://thinkprogress.org/2007/08/31/military-censors/">"U.S. Military Censors Think Progress,"</a> <i>ThinkProgress</i>, August 31, 2007.</font></li></ul>
<div id="catlinks" class="catlinks"><div id="mw-normal-catlinks" class="mw-normal-catlinks"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/Special:Categories" title="Special:Categories">Categories</a>: </font><ul><li><a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/Category:Blogging_and_Bloggers" title="Category:Blogging and Bloggers"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000">Blogging and Bloggers</font></a></li><li><a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/Category:Politics_%28U.S.%29" title="Category:Politics (U.S.)"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000">Politics (U.S.)</font></a></li></ul></div></div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><br /></font><hr />
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=</font><div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">=</font></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><a href="https://archive.thinkprogress.org/climate-liability-lawsuits-industry-counterattacks-b2f04bce26bb/">https://archive.thinkprogress.org/climate-liability-lawsuits-industry-counterattacks-b2f04bce26bb/</a></font></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" /><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">no lnx twt 2/18</font></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</div><div style=""><b style=""><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">as more and more</span><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 153, 0);"> cities are filing lawsuits against fossil fuel companies</span><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"> for their role in perpetuating climate change, the fossil fuel industry and its allies are responding with counterattacks in the courtroom and in the court of public opinion</span></b><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">.</span></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">And while some legal experts characterize the industry’s actions as an attempt to delay litigation and dissuade other cities from taking similar action, public officials from the cities that have filed the lawsuits have a different perspective — to them, the fact that industry has pushed back against the litigation with such ferocity means that it’s working.</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">“When we filed these lawsuits against these companies that are represented by major law firms, we figured they would try to do whatever they could to draw out the litigation,” Kate Sears, a county supervisor in Marin County, California, which filed a lawsuit against fossil fuel companies last summer, told ThinkProgress. “What they are doing now is so ridiculous that it really makes me think that they are quite concerned about the strength of these lawsuits.”</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><b>Since July 2017, eight cities and counties in California, as well as New York City, have filed lawsuits against major fossil fuel companies for their role in climate-fueled consequences like sea level rise and, in some cases, more frequent wildfires and droughts</b>.</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">In each case, the plaintiffs allege that the fossil fuel companies created a public nuisance when they extracted and sold their product despite internal knowledge that burning fossil fuels contributed to dangerous climate change. If the claims are successful, the cities and counties hope that fossil fuel companies will help fund climate adaptation projects, like raising roads or building seawalls to protect against sea level rise.</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Climate activists have cheered the recent wave of litigation as an important tool to hold fossil fuel companies accountable for their role in climate change, especially as the federal government continues to pursue a deregulatory and pro-fossil fuel environmental agenda. When New York City announced its lawsuit in January 2018, for instance, Bill McKibben, co-founder of 350.org, told ThinkProgress that the move represented “a major tipping point” in the global fight against fossil fuels.</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">But the fossil fuel industry — as well as its allies in conservative think tanks and industry trade groups — have responded with counter attacks aimed at painting the actions as activist litigation, based not on sound science or legal precedent but a conspiracy by a group of lawyers, public officials, and environmentalists.</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><b>
</b></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><b>In one instance, Exxon — the largest oil company to be named in all nine climate liability lawsuits that have been filed in the last year — has taken its fight against climate liability lawsuits to federal court.</b></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">The motion filed by Exxon in January in a Texas district court, alleges that the spate of lawsuits challenging the company’s role in knowingly perpetuating climate change amount to a violation of the company’s First Amendment rights.</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><b>
</b></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><b>In the motion, Exxon also accuses city officials and attorneys of working together in a “conspiracy” to “coerce ExxonMobil…to adopt policies aligned with those favored by local politicians in California</b>.” As part of that conspiracy, the motion also mentions separate cases currently being pursued by New York and Massachusetts state attorneys general, which are investigating whether Exxon broke the law by failing to fully disclose the risks of climate change to its investors.</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">The list of cities suing major fossil fuel companies over climate change just got longer</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Richmond, California — home to a massive Chevron oil refinery — is the latest city to take on fossil fuel companies over climate change.</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</div><div><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">Michael Burger, executive director of Columbia University’s<b> Sabin Center for Climate Change Law,</b> says that, legally speaking, Exxon’s claims of a conspiracy or violation of its First Amendment rights are “nonsense.</span><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">” But Burger sees something more disturbing in the legal action taken by Exxon against the cities filing lawsuits: another example of a growing trend by companies to try to silence opposition through litigation.</span></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">“In my view, it’s quite dangerous,” Burger said of the motion, which he likened to a strategic lawsuit against public participation, or a SLAPP lawsuit, traditionally meant to censor or silence critics by creating an overwhelming burden for potential plaintiffs to overcome. “There is a real risk that these things are intended to and will succeed in chilling speech and intimidating local government officials from taking progressive action.”</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Thus far, the strategy does not appear to be working in Exxon’s favor. Just days after the company filed its motion in the Texas court, New York City announced that it would be following in the California municipalities’ footsteps by filing its own lawsuit against five major fossil fuel companies, including Exxon.</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">“I’ve seen tactics before to try to wear down people representing the public, to have this fight through attrition,” said Marin County Supervisor Sears. Sears previously worked for the California Attorney General’s Office bringing legal action against predatory lenders. “It’s also why I feel so strongly about how important it is to stand up and take action to represent the public when they have been harmed.”</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">But fossil fuel companies aren’t the only ones working to derail the growing wave of climate litigation: Outside of the courtroom, fossil fuel-associated trade organizations have launched several public relations campaigns aimed at undermining the motives for bringing litigation against fossil fuel companies.</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Following New York City’s recent lawsuit against five fossil fuel companies for their role in knowingly perpetuating climate change, for instance, two major trade groups launched a series of public campaigns meant to paint the lawsuits as politically-motivated activist litigation.</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</div><div><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">Both the National Association of Manufacturers (NAM) and the <b>Independent Petroleum Association of America (IPAA</b>) — nonprofit trade organizations with ties to the fossil fuel industry — have publicly attempted to undermine the lawsuit through tweets or op-eds meant to call attention to past statements and actions by New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio.</span></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</div><div><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">One series of tweets, sent in late January by <b>Energy In Depth — the public outreach arm of the IPAA — paints de Blasio as both an activist mayor focused on the destruction of the oil and gas industry, and a hypocrite who champions climate action while riding around in SUVs.</b></span></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Energy In Depth bills itself as an education and public outreach campaign aimed at “getting the facts out about the promise and potential of responsibly developing America’s onshore energy resource base.” It claims the IPAA, as well as numerous regional oil and gas trade associations, among its members. But according to an internal memo obtained by DeSmog in 2011, <b>Energy In Depth was created through funding provided by major oil and gas companies, including BP, Chevron, and Shell — three companies named as defendants in New York City’s climate lawsuit.</b></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</div><div><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">Meanwhile, the National Association of Manufacturers’ political action committee has received thousands from Exxon, including a recent $5,000 donation in 2017 from Exxon’s senior vice president Neil Chapman. Of the five companies named in New York’s lawsuit, three have executives that serve on NAM’s Board of Directors: both John Mingé, president of BP, and Andrew Lundquist, senior vice president of government affairs at ConocoPhillips, serve as board members, while Exxon’s Chapman sits on the executive committee.</span></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</div><div><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">In California, cities and counties have also been the subject of at least one negative op-ed, published in the<b> Sacramento Bee by former Republican Congressman and California Attorney General Dan Lungren. In his op-ed, Lungren accuses the California cities and counties of hypocrisy</b> for suing fossil fuel companies over the cost of climate change while ignoring those same costs in communications with potential investors.</span></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</div><div><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">“This is just another example of activists trying to replace the power of the people and their elected representatives with the decision-making of the courts in an area in which judges have no particular expertise,” Lungren wrote. “Whatever their intentions, these cities demonstrate a true legal risk — to their own city budgets and their citizens, rather than to oil compa</span><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">nies.”</span></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</div><div><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 153, 0);"><b>Lungren currently consults with the Institute for Legal Reform,</b> an offshoot of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce</span><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">. As an organization, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce has been vocally opposed to climate regulations, like the Clean Power Plan. In 2012, the Chamber received at least $2 million from fossil fuel companies named in some of the California lawsuits, according to voluntary financial disclosures analyzed by the Center for Public Integrity. Lungren did not disclose that information in his op-ed.</span></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Legally speaking, these public relations campaigns are unlikely to impact the outcome the climate liability cases should they proceed to trial.</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">“These cases, the plaintiffs here are seeking damages for costs they are incurring as a result of climate change. They are viable claims on their face and there’s no reason, legally, for the court to treat them as anything other than what they, on their face, appear to be,” Burger said. “There’s no reason for a court to treat them any differently just because of some op-eds being written impugning the character of those who are bringing the lawsuits.”</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">But the tactics follow a well-worn pattern used by the fossil fuel industry and its allies before, one dictated by spreading doubt and misinformation to push the consensus on climate issues to the margins.</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">“I think we saw in the past this unbelievable campaign they supported to create uncertainty about climate change,” Supervisor Sears said. “Raising these absurd allegations is what looks to be yet another campaign to try to mislead the public about these lawsuits and what they are intended to do, and the intentions and the integrity of the elected officials. It’s unfortunate.”</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">#CALIFORNIA, #CLIMATE, #CLIMATE LAWSUIT, #CLIMATE LIABILITY, #EXXON MOBIL, #FOSSIL FUELS, #NEW YORK CITY</div></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">=</font></div></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">=
OCTOBER
On October 5, ThinkProgress exposes the U.S. Chamber of Commerce for directing foreign funds into the general account it uses for political expenditures to defeat progressive candidates.
On October 7, MoveOn, Public Citizen, and other progressive organizations protest the Chamber’s plan to spend $75 million against progressive candidates, and their lack of transparency over foreign money, in front of Chamber headquarters in Washington D.C.
==
http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=ThinkProgress
<b>hinkProgress</b> at ThinkProgress.org is a project of the nonpartisan <a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/Center_for_American_Progress_Action_Fund" title="Center for American Progress Action Fund">Center for American Progress Action Fund</a>.<sup id="cite_ref-AboutTP_0-0" class="reference"><a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=ThinkProgress#cite_note-AboutTP-0">[1]</a></sup>
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<table id="toc" class="toc"><tbody><tr><td>
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<h2><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Contents</font></h2>
<span class="toctoggle"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"> [<a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=ThinkProgress#" class="internal" id="togglelink">hide</a>] </font></span></div>
<ul><li class="toclevel-1 tocsection-1"><a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=ThinkProgress#Mission"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><span class="tocnumber">1</span> <span class="toctext">Mission</span></font></a></li><li class="toclevel-1 tocsection-2"><a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=ThinkProgress#Personnel"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><span class="tocnumber">2</span> <span class="toctext">Personnel</span></font></a></li><li class="toclevel-1 tocsection-3"><a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=ThinkProgress#Contact_information"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><span class="tocnumber">3</span> <span class="toctext">Contact information</span></font></a></li><li class="toclevel-1 tocsection-4"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=ThinkProgress#Resources_and_articles"><span class="tocnumber">4</span> <span class="toctext">Resources and articles</span></a>
</font><ul><li class="toclevel-2 tocsection-5"><a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=ThinkProgress#Related_SourceWatch_articles"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><span class="tocnumber">4.1</span> <span class="toctext">Related SourceWatch articles</span></font></a></li><li class="toclevel-2 tocsection-6"><a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=ThinkProgress#References"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><span class="tocnumber">4.2</span> <span class="toctext">References</span></font></a></li><li class="toclevel-2 tocsection-7"><a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=ThinkProgress#External_articles"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><span class="tocnumber">4.3</span> <span class="toctext">External articles</span></font></a></li></ul>
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<h2> <span class="mw-headline" id="Mission"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Mission</font></span></h2>
<p><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">ThinkProgress states on its website that it is:</font></p>
<ul><li><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Fighting For:</font></li></ul>
<dl><dd>
<ul><li><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Social and Economic Justice</font></li><li><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Healthy Communities</font></li><li><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Global Leadership</font></li><li><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">A Secure America</font></li></ul>
</dd></dl>
<ul><li><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Fighting Against:</font></li></ul>
<dl><dd>
<ul><li><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Corrupt Establishment</font></li><li><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Incompetent Establishment</font></li><li><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Braindead Media</font></li><li><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Radical Right-Wing Agenda</font></li></ul>
</dd></dl>
<h2> <span class="mw-headline" id="Personnel"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Personnel</font></span></h2>
<p><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">The following are ThinkProgress staff members.<sup id="cite_ref-AboutTP_0-1" class="reference"><a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=ThinkProgress#cite_note-AboutTP-0">[1]</a></sup></font></p>
<ul><li><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Faiz Shakir, Editor; Research Director at the <a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/Center_for_American_Progress" title="Center for American Progress">Center for American Progress</a></font></li><li><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Amanda Terkel, Deputy Editor; Deputy Research Director at the Center
for American Progress; Deputy Editor for The Progress Report</font></li><li><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Satyam Khanna, Research Associate for The Progress Report and ThinkProgress.org at the Center for American Progress</font></li><li><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Matt Corley, Research Associate for The Progress Report and ThinkProgress.org at the Center for American Progress</font></li></ul>
<h2> <span class="mw-headline" id="Contact_information"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Contact information</font></span></h2>
<p><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Email: thinkprogress AT americanprogressaction.org
URL: <a rel="nofollow" class="external free" href="http://thinkprogress.org/">http://thinkprogress.org/</a>
</font></p>
<h2> <span class="mw-headline" id="Resources_and_articles"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Resources and articles</font></span></h2>
<h3> <span class="mw-headline" id="Related_SourceWatch_articles"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Related SourceWatch articles</font></span></h3>
<ul><li><a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/Bloggers" title="Bloggers"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000">bloggers</font></a></li></ul>
<h3> <span class="mw-headline" id="References"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">References</font></span></h3>
<ol class="references"><li id="cite_note-AboutTP-0"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">↑ <sup><a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=ThinkProgress#cite_ref-AboutTP_0-0">1.0</a></sup> <sup><a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=ThinkProgress#cite_ref-AboutTP_0-1">1.1</a></sup> <span class="reference-text"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://thinkprogress.org/about">About,</a> <i>Think Progress</i>, accessed August 31, 2007.</span></font></li></ol>
<h3> <span class="mw-headline" id="External_articles"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">External articles</font></span></h3>
<ul><li><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://thinkprogress.org/2007/08/31/military-censors/">"U.S. Military Censors Think Progress,"</a> <i>ThinkProgress</i>, August 31, 2007.</font></li></ul>
<div id="catlinks" class="catlinks"><div id="mw-normal-catlinks" class="mw-normal-catlinks"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/Special:Categories" title="Special:Categories">Categories</a>: </font><ul><li><a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/Category:Blogging_and_Bloggers" title="Category:Blogging and Bloggers"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000">Blogging and Bloggers</font></a></li><li><a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/Category:Politics_%28U.S.%29" title="Category:Politics (U.S.)"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000">Politics (U.S.)</font></a></li></ul></div></div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">====</font><div><p style="margin-top: 8px; margin-bottom: 8px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">----</font></p><p style="margin-top: 8px; margin-bottom: 8px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><a href="https://archive.thinkprogress.org/exposed-the-19-public-corporations-funding-the-climate-denier-think-tank-heartland-institute-2b4a345ab636/" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; outline: none;">https://archive.thinkprogress.org/exposed-the-19-public-corporations-funding-the-climate-denier-think-tank-heartland-institute-2b4a345ab636/</a></font></p><p style="margin-top: 8px; margin-bottom: 8px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">2/<b>2017</b></font></p><p style="margin-top: 8px; margin-bottom: 8px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">o<span style="box-sizing: inherit;">ne in a series of posts about the </span><a href="http://archive.thinkprogress.org/tag/heartland-institute/" rel="noopener" target="_blank" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; outline: none; box-sizing: inherit; word-break: break-word; border-bottom: 1px solid rgb(144, 141, 255);"><span style="box-sizing: inherit;">Heartland Institute’s inner workings</span></a><span style="box-sizing: inherit;">, from </span><a href="http://archive.thinkprogress.org/heartland-institute-documents/" rel="noopener" target="_blank" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; outline: none; box-sizing: inherit; word-break: break-word; border-bottom: 1px solid rgb(144, 141, 255);"><span style="box-sizing: inherit;">internal documents</span></a><span style="box-sizing: inherit;"> acquired by </span><a href="http://archive.thinkprogress.org/green/issue/feed" rel="noopener" target="_blank" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; outline: none; box-sizing: inherit; word-break: break-word; border-bottom: 1px solid rgb(144, 141, 255);"><span style="box-sizing: inherit;">ThinkProgress Green</span></a><span style="box-sizing: inherit;">. Heartland has issued a </span><a href="http://heartland.org/press-releases/2012/02/15/heartland-institute-responds-stolen-and-fake-documents" rel="noopener" target="_blank" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; outline: none; box-sizing: inherit; word-break: break-word; border-bottom: 1px solid rgb(144, 141, 255);"><span style="box-sizing: inherit;">press release</span></a><span style="box-sizing: inherit;"> claiming that some of these documents were sent to an outsider under false pretenses and that one document in the set is a fake, but the AP </span><a href="http://www.wral.com/news/science/story/10741778/" rel="noopener" target="_blank" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; outline: none; box-sizing: inherit; word-break: break-word; border-bottom: 1px solid rgb(144, 141, 255);"><span style="box-sizing: inherit;">independently verified</span></a><span style="box-sizing: inherit;"> their contents.</span></font></p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 2.1875rem; box-sizing: inherit; line-height: 2.2rem; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Internal documents acquired by ThinkProgress Green reveal that the climate-denial think tank Heartland Institute <a href="http://d35brb9zkkbdsd.cloudfront.net/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/1-15-2012-2012-Fundraising-Plan.pdf" rel="noopener" target="_blank" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; outline: none; box-sizing: inherit; word-break: break-word; border-bottom: 1px solid rgb(144, 141, 255);">received funding</a> from at least 19 publicly traded corporations in 2010 and 2011. The companies’ combined contributions exceeded $1.3 million for an array of projects. As Think Progress Green reported on Tuesday, the <b>Heartland Institute’s projects included a <a href="http://archive.thinkprogress.org/green/2012/02/14/425354/internal-documents-climate-denier-heartland-institute-plans-global-warming-curriculum-for-k-12-schools/" rel="noopener" target="_blank" style="text-decoration-line: none; outline: none; box-sizing: inherit; word-break: break-word; border-bottom: 1px solid rgb(144, 141, 255);">secret plan to teach children that climate change is a hoax</a>.</b></font></p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 2.1875rem; box-sizing: inherit; line-height: 2.2rem; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">The companies backing the Heartland Institute:</font></p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 2.1875rem; box-sizing: inherit; line-height: 2.2rem; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">DENIERGATE COMPANIES:</font></p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 2.1875rem; box-sizing: inherit; line-height: 2.2rem; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">CompanyTicker Symbol2010–2011 TotalProject Code </font></p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 2.1875rem; box-sizing: inherit; line-height: 2.2rem; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b>Altria</b> Client Services Inc.MO$90,000BTN</font></p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 2.1875rem; box-sizing: inherit; line-height: 2.2rem; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Amgen, USAAMGN$25,000HCN</font></p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 2.1875rem; box-sizing: inherit; line-height: 2.2rem; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Anheuser-Busch Companies Inc.BUD$5,000 </font></p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 2.1875rem; box-sizing: inherit; line-height: 2.2rem; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">ITTN<b>AT&T</b>;T$100,000</font></p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 2.1875rem; box-sizing: inherit; line-height: 2.2rem; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">ITTN <b>BB&T;</b></font></p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 2.1875rem; box-sizing: inherit; line-height: 2.2rem; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">BBT$16,105ECN</font></p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 2.1875rem; box-sizing: inherit; line-height: 2.2rem; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Comcast CorporationCMCSA$35,000 ITTN</font></p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 2.1875rem; box-sizing: inherit; line-height: 2.2rem; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">DiageoDEO$10,000 GO</font></p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 2.1875rem; box-sizing: inherit; line-height: 2.2rem; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Eli Lilly & CompanyLLY$25,000 HCN</font></p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 2.1875rem; box-sizing: inherit; line-height: 2.2rem; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">General Motors FoundationGM$30,000 SRN</font></p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 2.1875rem; box-sizing: inherit; line-height: 2.2rem; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b>GlaxoSmithKline</b>GSK$50,000</font></p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 2.1875rem; box-sizing: inherit; line-height: 2.2rem; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"> HCN KCIKCI $115,000 FIRE</font></p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 2.1875rem; box-sizing: inherit; line-height: 2.2rem; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"> LKQ CorporationLKQX$24,500 FIRE</font></p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 2.1875rem; box-sizing: inherit; line-height: 2.2rem; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Microsoft CorporationMSFT$59,908 ITTN</font></p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 2.1875rem; box-sizing: inherit; line-height: 2.2rem; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Nucor CorporationNUE$502,000 ECN</font></p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 2.1875rem; box-sizing: inherit; line-height: 2.2rem; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">PepsiCo, Inc.PEP$5,000 BTN</font></p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 2.1875rem; box-sizing: inherit; line-height: 2.2rem; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Pfizer PFE$130,000 HCN</font></p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 2.1875rem; box-sizing: inherit; line-height: 2.2rem; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Reynolds American Inc.RAI$110,000 FIRE</font></p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 2.1875rem; box-sizing: inherit; line-height: 2.2rem; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Time Warner CableTWC$20,000 ITTNXL </font></p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 2.1875rem; box-sizing: inherit; line-height: 2.2rem; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">GroupXL$35,000 </font></p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 2.1875rem; box-sizing: inherit; line-height: 2.2rem; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">FIRE Projects:<b> BTN=Budget & Tax News</b>; ECN=Environment & Climate News; FIRE=Finance Insurance and Real Estate ; GO=General Operating; HCN=Health Care News; ITTN=Information Technology & Telecom News; SRN=School Reform News.</font></p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 2.1875rem; box-sizing: inherit; line-height: 2.2rem; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">some companies have issued statements about their contributions, but none have committed to ending their support for the Heartland Institute.</font></p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 2.1875rem; box-sizing: inherit; line-height: 2.2rem; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><a href="http://www.businessgreen.com/bg/analysis/2152749/heartland-institute-scandal-force-transparency-corporate-donors" rel="noopener" target="_blank" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; outline: none; box-sizing: inherit; word-break: break-word; border-bottom: 1px solid rgb(144, 141, 255);">“Diageo</a> provided a small contribution (nearly two years ago) to Heartland Institute — related to an excise tax issue,” a spokesperson said. “We vigorously oppose climate skepticism and our actions are proof of this. We will be reviewing any further association with this organization.”</font></p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 2.1875rem; box-sizing: inherit; line-height: 2.2rem; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">While disavowing climate denial, <a href="http://archive.thinkprogress.org/green/2012/02/16/426351/microsoft-disavows-heartland-institutes-climate-denial-says-contributions-just-free-software-licenses/" rel="noopener" target="_blank" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; outline: none; box-sizing: inherit; word-break: break-word; border-bottom: 1px solid rgb(144, 141, 255);">Microsoft</a> has indicated no intention to stop its in-kind tax-deductible contributions to the think tank.</font></p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 2.1875rem; box-sizing: inherit; line-height: 2.2rem; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><a href="http://www.businessgreen.com/bg/analysis/2152749/heartland-institute-scandal-force-transparency-corporate-donors" rel="noopener" target="_blank" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; outline: none; box-sizing: inherit; word-break: break-word; border-bottom: 1px solid rgb(144, 141, 255);">“GSK</a> absolutely does not endorse or support the Heartland Institute’s views on the environment and climate change,” a Glaxo Smith Kline spokesperson said. “We have in the past provided a small amount of funding to support the Institute’s healthcare newsletter and a meeting.”</font></p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 2.1875rem; box-sizing: inherit; line-height: 2.2rem; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Asked about the contributions, <a href="http://archive.thinkprogress.org/green/2012/02/16/426471/gm-defends-contributions-denier-heartland-institute/" rel="noopener" target="_blank" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; outline: none; box-sizing: inherit; word-break: break-word; border-bottom: 1px solid rgb(144, 141, 255);">General Motors</a> defended the Heartland Institute as “careful and considerate,” even though the radical think tank has accused “Government Motors” of “corporate welfare-sucking” and told people to “never again buy a GM car or truck.” Forecast The Facts has established a <a href="http://act.engagementlab.org/sign/climate_gm" rel="noopener" target="_blank" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; outline: none; box-sizing: inherit; word-break: break-word; border-bottom: 1px solid rgb(144, 141, 255);">petition to GM</a> asking them to stop funding climate denial.</font></p><h4 style="box-sizing: inherit; line-height: 2.75rem; margin: 0px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Update:</font></h4><p style="margin: 0px 0px 2.1875rem; box-sizing: inherit; line-height: 2.2rem; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">ThinkProgress is among several publications to have published <a href="http://archive.thinkprogress.org/heartland-institute-documents/" rel="noopener" target="_blank" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; outline: none; box-sizing: inherit; word-break: break-word; border-bottom: 1px solid rgb(144, 141, 255);">documents</a> attributed to the Heartland Institute and sent to us from an anonymous and then unknown source. The source later <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/peter-h-gleick/heartland-institute-documents_b_1289669.html" rel="noopener" target="_blank" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; outline: none; box-sizing: inherit; word-break: break-word; border-bottom: 1px solid rgb(144, 141, 255);">revealed himself</a>. Heartland Institute has <a href="http://blog.heartland.org/2012/02/heartland-institute-responds-to-stolen-and-fake-documents/" rel="noopener" target="_blank" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; outline: none; box-sizing: inherit; word-break: break-word; border-bottom: 1px solid rgb(144, 141, 255);">issued</a> several <a href="http://heartland.org/press-releases/2012/02/20/statement-heartland-institute-peter-gleick-confession" rel="noopener" target="_blank" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; outline: none; box-sizing: inherit; word-break: break-word; border-bottom: 1px solid rgb(144, 141, 255);">press releases</a> claiming that one document (“2012 Climate Strategy”) is fake and asserting other claims regarding the other documents. ThinkProgress has taken down the “2012 Climate Strategy” document as it determines the document’s authenticity.</font></p><p style="margin-top: 8px; margin-bottom: 8px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">===</font></p></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">===<br /></font><h1><a href="http://thinkprogress.org/climate/2009/11/25/205020/competitive-enterprise-institute-to-sue-realclimate-blogger-over-moderation-policy/"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000">Competitive Enterprise Institute to sue RealClimate blogger over moderation policy</font></a></h1><p class="byline"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
By <a href="http://thinkprogress.org/author/joe/">Joe Romm</a> on Nov 25, 2009 at 12:08 pm</font></p>
<blockquote><p><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Gavin Schmidt has done a wonderful job at RealClimate <a href="http://www.realclimate.org/index.php/archives/2009/11/the-cru-hack/">patiently explaining the context of the stolen emails</a>.
He’s made it perfectly clear that the claims of scientific malpractice
are without foundation. He must be doing a really good job, because the <a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Competitive_Enterprise_Institute">Competitive Enterprise Institute</a> intends to <a rel="nofollow" href="http://pajamasmedia.com/blog/competitive-enterprise-institute-sues-nasa-in-wake-of-climategate-scandal/2/">sue him</a>.</font></p></blockquote>
<p><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">That’s computer scientist Tim Lambert aka Deltoid explaining (<a href="http://scienceblogs.com/deltoid/2009/11/competitive_enterprise_institu.php">here</a>)
the latest tactics the anti-scientific disinformers are pursuing to
stifle real climate scientists from communicating with the public. The
CEI, of course, runs <a title="Permanent Link: CEI campaigns to destroy the climate for centuries" rel="bookmark" href="http://climateprogress.org/2009/10/15/2009/08/31/2008/03/12/cei-campaigns-to-destroy-the-climate-for-centuries/">ad campaigns aimed at destroying the climate for centuries</a>; generally spreads disinformation (see “<a title="Permanent Link to Santer, Jones, and Schneider respond to CEI's phony attack on the temperature record" rel="bookmark" href="http://climateprogress.org/2009/10/15/phil-jones-ben-santer-stephen-schneider-respond-to-competitive-enterprise-institute-deniers/">Santer, Jones, and Schneider respond to CEI’s phony attack on the temperature record</a>“) and embraces the efforts of other groups to sow confusion (see “<a title="Permanent Link to Deniers go ape for Scopes climate trial, Inhofe quotes John Stuart Mill " rel="bookmark" href="http://climateprogress.org/2009/08/31/deniers-chamber-of-commerce-scopes-monkey-trial-global-warming-chris-horner-cei-planet-gore-inhofe/">Deniers go ape for Scopes climate trial</a>“).</font>
<font size="4" face="Times New Roman">But CEI’s current tactics, which they proudly announce <a href="http://pajamasmedia.com/blog/competitive-enterprise-institute-sues-nasa-in-wake-of-climategate-scandal/">here</a>, have become truly extemist in nature:</font>
<font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><span id="more-205020" /></font></p>
<blockquote><p><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">[CEI seeks documents] relating to the content,
importance, or propriety of workday-hour posts or entries by GISS/NASA
employee<span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);"> Gavin A. Schmidt on the weblog or “blog” RealClimate</span>, which is
owned by the advocacy Environmental Media Services and was started as an
effort to defend the debunked “Hockey Stick” that is so central to the
CRU files. RealClimate.org is implicated in the leaked files and
expressly offered as a tool to be used “in any way you think would be
helpful” to a certain advocacy campaign, including an assertion of
Schmidt’s active involvement in, e.g., delaying and/or screening out
unhelpful input by “skeptics” attempting to comment on claims made on
the website.</font>
<font size="4" face="Times New Roman">This, and the related political activism engaged in, are
inappropriate behavior for a taxpayer-funded employee, particularly on
taxpayer time. These documents were requested in January 2007 and
NASA/GISS have refused to date to comply with their legal obligation to
produce responsive documents.</font></p></blockquote>
<p><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Lambert notes:</font></p>
<blockquote><p><strong><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">Yes they’re planning to sue Schmidt for the
“inappropriate behavior” of moderating comments at RealClimate</span>. Of
course, the point of this vexatious suit isn’t to win — it’s to harass
and distract Schmidt because he is being effective.</font></strong>
<font size="4" face="Times New Roman">It’s not for nothing that I dubbed them the <a href="http://scienceblogs.com/deltoid/2007/01/completely_evil_institute.php">Completely Evil Institute</a>.</font></p></blockquote>
<p><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">I would add that essentially every factual assertion in the above excerpt from the piece by CEI Fellow Chris Horner is false.</font>
<font size="4" face="Times New Roman">The disinformers are obsessed with the Hockey Stick analysis, even
though it is just the tiniest piece of our overall understanding of
climate science, which is getting increasingly dire by the day (see <a title="Permanent Link to Climate science statement from the Met Office, NERC and the Royal Society: It's the hottest decade on record and " for="" rel="bookmark" href="http://climateprogress.org/2009/11/24/climate-science-statement-from-the-met-office-nerc-and-the-royal-society-its-the-hottest-decade-on-record-and-even-since-the-2007-ipcc-assessment-the-evidence-for-dangerous-long-term-and-poten/">Climate
science statement from the Met Office, NERC and the Royal Society:
“even since the 2007 IPCC Assessment the evidence for dangerous,
long-term and potentially irreversible climate change has strengthened”</a>).</font>
<font size="4" face="Times New Roman">The ‘hockey stick’ was, in fact, essentially vindicated by the National Academy of Sciences (see <a href="http://www.realclimate.org/index.php/archives/2006/06/national-academies-synthesis-report/">NAS Report</a> and <a href="http://www.realclimate.org/index.php?s=hockey+stick&submit=Search">RealClimate.org</a>).
And more important than the fact that the original analysis was
defensibly correct, is that the conclusions were correct [which could be
true even if the analysis had flaws in it]. Is the planet now as hot
(or hotter) than it has been in a millenium? Try two millennia (see “<a title="Permanent Link to Sorry deniers, hockey stick gets longer, stronger: Earth hotter now than in past 2,000 years" rel="bookmark" href="http://climateprogress.org/2009/07/26/2008/09/03/sorry-deniers-hockey-stick-gets-longer-stronger-earth-hotter-now-than-in-past-2000-years/">Sorry deniers, hockey stick gets longer, stronger: Earth hotter now than in past 2,000 years</a>“). See also “<a title="Permanent Link to Human-caused Arctic warming overtakes 2,000 years of natural cooling, " rel="bookmark" href="http://climateprogress.org/2009/09/03/science-study-hockey-stick-human-caused-arctic-warming-overtakes-natural-cooling/">Human-caused Arctic warming overtakes 2,000 years of natural cooling, ‘seminal’ study finds</a>.” That’s why climatologist and one-time darling of the contrarians Ken Caldeira said last month, <a title="Permanent Link to Must-read AP story: Statisticians reject global cooling; Caldeira " rel="bookmark" href="http://climateprogress.org/2009/10/26/global-cooling-myth-statisticians-caldeira-superfreakonomics/">“To
talk about global cooling at the end of the hottest decade the planet
has experienced in many thousands of years is ridiculous.”</a></font>
<font size="4" face="Times New Roman">RealClimate was not started as an effort to defend the Hockey Stick,
but rather to “to provide a quick response to developing stories and
provide the context sometimes missing in mainstream commentary” on
climate science in general (see RC’s <a href="http://www.realclimate.org/index.php/archives/2004/12/about/">About page</a>). As for being “owned by the advocacy Environmental Media Services,” RealClimate explains patiently in its Disclaimer:</font></p>
<blockquote><p><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">The contributors to this site do so in a personal
capacity during their spare time and their posts do not represent the
views of the organizations for which they work, nor the agencies which
fund them. The contributors are solely responsible for the content of
the site and receive no remuneration for their contributions.</font>
<font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">RealClimate is not affiliated with any environmental organisations.
Although our domain is being hosted by Environmental Media Services, and
our initial press release was organised for us by Fenton
Communications, </span>neither organization was in any way involved in the
initial planning for RealClimate, and have never had any editorial or
other control over content. Neither Fenton nor EMS has ever paid any
contributor to RealClimate.org any money for any purpose at any time.
Neither do they pay us expenses, buy our lunch or contract us to do
research. This information has always been made clear to <a href="http://www.sciencemag.org/content/vol306/issue5705/netwatch.shtml">anyone</a> who asked.</font></p></blockquote>
<p><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">CEI received over $2 million from ExxonMobil from 1998 to 2005, but that is no doubt purely a coincidence.</font></p>
</div></div>