How doubt is manufactured on climate change

by Eleanor Evans

If there is one book to read about the manufactured doubt about climate change, then ‘Merchants of Doubt’ (Oreskes/Conway) is it! For those of you who lack the patience to wade through the technical chapters, then at least watch this video or read this article in the Guardian: www.theguardian.com/environment/planet-oz/2014/jul/25/harvard-historian-strategy-of-climate-science-denial-groups-extremely-successful

In short, Harvard Professor Oreskes DOCUMENTS that the doubts about the link between smoking and lung cancer were part of a paired strategy developed by the big four tobacco companies in late 1953: to invest in research that clouded the issue, and, a strategic PR campaign to promote this ‘red herring’ research. What you might not know is that the key scientists involved in directing the research were ex-WWII scientists (nuclear physicists) and these same four men went on to dispute research on acid rain, the hole in the ozone, the health consequences of secondhand smoke and now have involved themselves in clouding the debate on climate change. Get your head around the facts of this work, accept that ordinary people don’t need to become climate change scientists before they act, and do something TODAY to start working towards proper, local and global action on climate change!