DeSmog Canada is excited to announce the launch of our new crowdfunding campaign: “Let’s Clean Up Canada’s Climate and Energy Debate.”

For the past 18 months, DeSmog Canada has delivered cutting-edge investigative journalism to clean up Canada’s polluted public square and foster science-based debate on climate and energy issues. Now, we are ready to take it to the next level.

Over the next thirty days, we need your help to raise $50,000 to fund our upcoming work that will focus on three priorities:

• leading in-depth investigations of government and industry spending on multi-million dollar ad campaigns to sell oil development and pipelines instead of clean energy solutions,
• shining a light on fake grassroots groups designed to confuse the public debate,
• exposing Canada’s war on science and the scientists who are prevented from sharing critical information with the public.

Climate and energy debates have never been more important to setting the course for Canada’s future. Yet conversations about Canada’s energy have never been more polarized, divisive and polluted with misinformation.

The stakes have never been higher.

In helping us to launch this ambitious crowd-funding campaign, David Suzuki puts it best:

“Everyday, we are bombarded with ads from oil companies telling us how their dirty products offer a clean, bright future. And we see advertisements for major energy projects like the Northern Gateway pipeline or the oilsands on the very sites that are supposed to be giving us the ‘facts’ about these projects.

Canadians want to hear about the issues, understand them and be part of the process, but instead all we get is noise. There is little honest debate on these issues – some of the most important issues we collectively face today.

But there are, importantly, organizations like DeSmog Canada, pushing back, to promote rational dialogue and informed discussions about Canada’s future. DeSmog Canada really rises above the fray – delivering trustworthy, high quality journalism and analysis that presses the issues that matter to Canadians – like pollution, climate change, environmental policy, the rights of First Nations and directly affected local communities.

They’re really doing something different on DeSmog Canada and that’s why I not only read desmog.ca every day and support their goals, but actually am working to help fundraise to support their efforts to grow so they can keep bringing this kind of high-quality content to Canadians.

And I’m asking you to do the same.”

We’re committed to putting the public interest first, to bringing you the news and analysis you need to make sense of policy, politics and, ultimately, democracy.

We believe an informed citizenry is the first step to meaningful debate about our natural resource wealth and what we choose to do with it.

If you’re a DeSmog Canada fan, you’re already ahead of the game. Your readership and online support has been pivotal to our online success over the last year and a half.

Now we’re ready to take it to the next level and we want you to be a part of that.

Not only does our Kickstarter campaign give you the chance to become a personal DeSmog Canada supporter, but our incredible assortment of perks will bring you even closer with our team and the amazing celebrity supporters who are backing our work.

If you don’t believe me, check it out! And be sure to share the campaign with your friends, family and anyone you think will benefit from the informed debate DeSmog Canada is bringing to the country.