Conned by Big Oil Once Again

Image courtesy Greenpeace
ABC asks the question:

Was Confusion Over Global Warming a Con Job? Some Claim Disinformation Campaign Attempted to Create the Impression Scientists Were Broadly Divided

Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Ross Gelbspan blames a 15-year misinformation campaign by the oil and coal industries.

"The point of this campaign was not necessarily to persuade the public that global warming isn't happening," Gelbspan said. "It was to persuade the public that there is this state of confusion."

A 1998 memo by the American Petroleum Institute said, "Victory will be achieved when … average citizens recognize uncertainties in climate science."

To redefine global warming as theory — not fact — the industry funded research by "friendly" scientists such as [climatologist Pat] Michaels.

Of course, the answer is yes. Just like there is no litigation crisis. That meme is bought and paid for the insurance industry. It's a win-win for them. They keep raising their rates, and then point to the litigation crisis (a false story which they funded) as the cause. So insurance companies continue to collect high, unregulated premiums, legislatures put caps on lawsuits, or eliminate categories of lawsuits altogether, and insurance saves even more in payouts.

I saw this at Suburban Guerilla.