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Complaint to Ofcom Regarding “The Great Global Warming Swindle”

2. Complete Transcript and Rebuttal

This lack of disclosure of conflicts of interest is especially important because of the overwhelming evidence that has come to light that some sections of the fossil fuel industry, together with the lobby groups that they fund, have been running a very well–funded misinformation campaign to reduce public support for cutting greenhouse gas emissions. This evidence is detailed in Appendix C.1.3, page 127, and Appendix D: page 145.]

(In breach of the 2003 Communications Act Section 265, Ofcom 5.4, 5.5, 5.7, 5.11, 5.12)

[Narrator]	There is almost no private sector investment in climatology and yet, to be involved in any research project which involves an industry grant, no matter how small, can spell ruin to a scientist’s reputation.
[Prof Patrick Michaels]	Modern technology, fuelled by greenhouse gases.
[Narrator]	Patrick Michaels is Professor of Environmental Sciences at the University of Virginia. He was Chair of the Committee on Applied Climatology at the American Meteorological Society, President of the American Association of State Climatologists, the author of three books on Meteorology; and an author and reviewer on the UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. But when he conducted research which was part funded by the coal industry he found himself among those under attack from climate campaigners.

[Comment 119: This statement by the narrator is deeply misleading on several levels.

The narrator’s statement that “when he conducted research which was part funded by the coal industry he found himself among those under attack from climate campaigners” implies that one would have to be prejudiced in order to be concerned about the links that some of the scientists in the programme have to the fossil fuel industry. In fact there are two very serious public interest reasons why it is quite legitimate to be concerned about such links, why many leading scientists (and not just “campaigners”, as claimed by the narrator) have expressed such concerns; and why these conflicts of interest should therefore have been revealed:

With regard to some scientific research into global warming having been funded by the fossil fuel industry, there is considerable peer-reviewed evidence that studies that are funded by corporations that have a financial interest in the outcome of that study are much more likely to reach the desired conclusions than are studies which don’t receive such funding.

There is very strong and growing evidence that a well-funded disinformation campaign is currently being run by a large number of lobby groups that are funded by the fossil fuel industry, in order to undermine public support for government action to reduce emissions.

Continued …

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Comment 119: Misrepresentation of Michaels’ links with fossil fuel industry]


Page 99 of 176	Final Revision	Last updated: 11 Jun 2007