The US Weather Channel’s โclimate change mission statement โ reads: โThroughout the world, people are confused about climate change and global warming, [the Weather Channel] will provide a place where sound science can be heard.โ As regular DeSmog readers know, much of the confusion and doubt in the general public around the issue of climate change and the discussion around โsound scienceโ has been at the hands of industry and oil company funded frontย groups.
Such groups serve the purpose of doing and saying the things a modern day corporation cannot get away with saying, like โC02, some call it pollution, we call it life. โ That’s the laughable tagline used by one such industry front group called the Competitive Enterprise Institute, a so-called US โthinkโ tank that has received over $2 million dollars from ExxonMobil, the largest oil company in theย world.
Now back to the Weather Channel and their valiant mission on climate change. The Weather Channel today announced their โ2006 Hot List,โ which in their own words โwill bring focus to the people and organization (sic) who in 2006 most influenced climate policy, science and public opinion.โ One would assume, based on their stated mission that their idea of a โhot listโ would be chosen among the thousands of people, organizations and corporations effecting the climate change issue in a positive way. Not so, coming in at number 3 on the Weather Channel’s 2006 โhot listโ is none other than the Competitive Enterprise Institute.
If the Weather Channel decides to promote such organizations as โinfluencing climate policy,โ that’s fine, but at least look past the teflon coating of the CEI and list the group who is really influencing climate policy,ย ExxonMobil.
Just because I love the video so much, here’s CEI‘s climate guru Myron Ebell getting hammered in a recent BBC interview. If bumbling and stumbling over your oil industry interests makes you a โ2006 Hot Listโ winner, then Ebell should have won the lifetime achievementย award.
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