Corporate Money Fueled PR Campaign for Climate Doubt Over Two Decades

"Climate change has long been a highly polarizing topic in the United States, with Americans lining up on opposite sides depending on their politics and worldview. Now a scientific study sheds new light on the role played by corporate money in creating that divide.

The report, a systematic review of 20 years’ worth of data, highlights the connection between corporate funding and messages that raise doubts about the science of climate change and whether humans are responsible for the warming of the planet. The analysis suggests that corporations have used their wealth to amplify contrarian views and create an impression of greater scientific uncertainty than actually exists.

'The contrarian efforts have been so effective for the fact that they have made it difficult for ordinary Americans to even know who to trust,' said Justin Farrell, a Yale University sociologist and author of the study, released on Monday in the peer-reviewed journal, Proceedings of the National Academy of Science."

Joby Warrick reports for the Washington Post November 23, 2015.

SEE ALSO:

"Research Confirms ExxonMobil, Koch-funded Climate Denial Echo Chamber Polluted Mainstream Media" (DeSmog Blog)

"Did ExxonMobil Just Admit It's Still Funding Climate Science Deniers?" (Union of Concerned Scientists)

"Corporate Funding And Ideological Polarization About Climate Change" (Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences)

"It’s Not Just What #ExxonKnew, It’s What #ExxonDid Next" (Climate Investigations Center)

"350,000 Sign Petition Asking for Federal Probe of Exxon" (InsideClimate News)

"Exxon Sowed Doubt About Climate Science for Decades by Stressing Uncertainty" (InsideClimate News: 10/11/2015)

"California Attorney General Urged to Investigate Exxon Over Climate" (InsideClimate News)

"Why Do So Many Americans Doubt Climate Change?" (Christian Science Monitor)