Slashdot Mirror
Big Tobacco Funded Anti-Global Warming Messages
An anonymous reader writes, "The UK Guardian is running an excerpt from the new book "Heat" by George Monbiot (to be published later this month) spelling out the network of funding opposing global action against global warming — specifically, limits on human carbon dioxide generation. The excerpt outlines a web of fake citizens' groups and bogus (but authoritative sounding) research institutes designed to convince laypeople that human causation of global warming is scientifically controversial. Not surprisingly, the article notes funding by ExxonMobil. More interesting is the role played big tobacco, tying their attack on the health risks of second-hand smoke to global warming skepticism." From the article: "What I have discovered while researching this issue is that the corporate funding of lobby groups denying that man-made climate change is taking place was initiated not by Exxon, or by any other firm directly involved in the fossil fuel industry. It was started by the tobacco company Philip Morris."
OK, I smoke. Probably about 10 roll-ups a day. But I also don't drive a car, I bike everywhere.
Man, do I feel guilty for causing all that global warming through smoking! (I have no qualms in believing smoke passive or otherwise is detrimental to health though)
What's surprising at this point isn't that Big Oil sponsors misleading propaganda to sway public opinion and protect their interests, it's that so many people continue to ignore the facts and accuse those of us who talk about these kinds of tactics as Tin Foil Hat Wearing Lefty Scare Mongerers (or insert your favorite slur here).
It's not just this issue, it's a whole host of issues including the 2000 & 2004 elections, the (non) connection of Iraq to Al-Qaeda and others. When will we all wake up?
(off to do penance for straying off the immediate topic)
Global Warming is just this mass consensus all scientists agree to in order to receive more funding. We need much more accurate data before this can be proven or disproven. Just imagine how inaccurate temperature readings were from even 100 years back (we're almost talking about cavemen recording temperatures on their holy scrolls). Then remember that temperature readings gathered in other ways (such as from arctic ice, etc.) are not 100% accurate either. They have +/- just like polling results. Then think about what scientists define global warming as ... it's a global temperature rise of a few fractions of a degree. So, could it not be possible that with all the inaccuraces of historical temperatures that there is actually Global Cooling? Or even worse, there really has been no change at all? But don't bother reading my post, because the /. moderators will come by and mod it down anyways because it has no actual proof or scientific data, just right-wing common sense.