“Doubt is our product… …Since it is the best means of competing with the body of fact that...

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“Doubt is our product… Since it is the best means of competing with the body of fact that exists in the minds of the general public.” –Tobacco industry memo, 1969

Transcript of “Doubt is our product… …Since it is the best means of competing with the body of fact that...

Page 1: “Doubt is our product… …Since it is the best means of competing with the body of fact that exists in the minds of the general public.” –Tobacco industry.

“Doubt is our product…

…Since it is the best means of competing with the body of fact that exists in the minds of the general public.” –Tobacco industry memo, 1969

Page 2: “Doubt is our product… …Since it is the best means of competing with the body of fact that exists in the minds of the general public.” –Tobacco industry.

Fred Singer, PhD. (Physics)

http://www.sepp.org/2007 income $226,000

Assets $1.69 million

Page 3: “Doubt is our product… …Since it is the best means of competing with the body of fact that exists in the minds of the general public.” –Tobacco industry.

Fred Singer (wikipedia)

• Singer trained as an atmospheric physicist and is known for his work in space research, atmospheric pollution, rocket and satellite technology, his questioning of the link between UV-B and melanoma rates, and that between CFCs and stratospheric ozone loss [2] , his public denial of the health risks of passive smoking, and as an outspoken critic of the mainstream scientific assessment of global warming.

Page 4: “Doubt is our product… …Since it is the best means of competing with the body of fact that exists in the minds of the general public.” –Tobacco industry.

Funded by:

• Singer, a leading climate change skeptic and a frequent contributor to the Wall Street Journal and other publications. In February of 2012, internal documents from the Heartland Institute were released to the DeSmogBlog, which detailed a $5,000 per month stipend to Fred Singer for activities related to global warming denial. The documents and analysis are available at desmogblog.com.

In a February 2001 letter to the Washington Post, Singer denied receiving funding from the oil industry, except for consulting work some 20 years prior. SEPP, however, received multiple grants from ExxonMobil, including 1998 and 2000. In addition, Singer's current CV on the SEPP website states that he served as a consultant to several oil companies.

Page 5: “Doubt is our product… …Since it is the best means of competing with the body of fact that exists in the minds of the general public.” –Tobacco industry.
Page 6: “Doubt is our product… …Since it is the best means of competing with the body of fact that exists in the minds of the general public.” –Tobacco industry.

Acid Rain(1982)

• Singer invited by Reagan Administration to chair the Acid Rain Peer Review Panel

• Singer edited the report to weaken it; argued for no action (wait for further research)

• Committee was divided (8-1); no action taken during Reagan administration

Page 7: “Doubt is our product… …Since it is the best means of competing with the body of fact that exists in the minds of the general public.” –Tobacco industry.
Page 8: “Doubt is our product… …Since it is the best means of competing with the body of fact that exists in the minds of the general public.” –Tobacco industry.

Ozone Depletion(1988)

• “Ozone scare generates much heat, little light” (Wall Street Journal editorial, run on page 1)

Page 9: “Doubt is our product… …Since it is the best means of competing with the body of fact that exists in the minds of the general public.” –Tobacco industry.

“My Adventures in the Ozone Layer”

• The science is incomplete and uncertain• Replacing CFC’s will be difficult, dangerous,

and expensive• The scientific community is corrupt and

motivated by self-interest and political ideology (has hidden agenda against business, the free market, and capitalism)

• Chlorine comes from volcanoes, not CFC’s

Page 10: “Doubt is our product… …Since it is the best means of competing with the body of fact that exists in the minds of the general public.” –Tobacco industry.

Second-hand Smoke 1992

EPA : Respiratory Effects of Passive Smoking-3,000 lung cancer deaths/year-150,000+ cases of bronchitis

Singer: “EPA is taking extreme positions not not not supported by science.”