Brendan DeMelle: Denial-a-Palooza 6: Heartland's Sixth International Conference on Climate Change, Courtesy of Koch, Scaife & Exxon

Denial-a-Palooza 6: Heartland's Sixth International Conference on Climate Change, Courtesy of Koch, Scaife & Exxon

by Brendan DeMelle, DeSmogBlog, June 30, 2011

The Heartland Institute is convening a who's-who of the global warming denial machine in Washington, DC over the next two days for the sixth International Conference on Climate Change (ICCC6).

Seemingly content to let the world burn, the denizens of Denial-a-Palooza work year-round to sow doubt and confusion about climate change among the public - aided by Fox News and other friendly media outlets - so that no action is taken to limit heat-trapping gasses in the atmosphere. This event is attended by the best corporate front groups that polluter money can buy, and this year is no exception.

As in past years, the speakers and sponsors lists are dripping with oil money, and comprise nearly the full roster of groups who share a common interest - greenwashing dirty energy sources like oil and coal while simultaneously attacking the credibility of the world's top climate scientists. The presentations will misrepresent the state of climate science, while the real action will take place backstage, as these groups coordinate their ongoing efforts to smear the reputation of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. (Note the intentional naming of this "ICCC" to sound like the IPCC.)

Let's take a look at the funding of the sponsors of ICCC6:

17 of the 43 sponsors of the Heartland Institute's Sixth International Conference on Climate Change, including the Heartland Institute itself, have collectively received over $46 million from either Scaife Foundations, Koch Foundations, or ExxonMobil and its foundation.

Most of these organizations, including many that choose not to disclose their funding sources, comprise the core of the industry attack on global warming science. See below for a complete breakdown of funding details:

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Scaife Foundations (1998-2010):	$28,557,000	($12,205,000 more than 2010*)
Koch Foundations (1998-2009):	$11,330,980	($6,241,230 less than 2010)
ExxonMobil (1998-2010):	$6,276,900	($311,350 less than 2010)
Total Funding (1998-2010):	$46,164,880

*The Heritage Foundation, notably absent from the 2010 ICCC, is a sponsor again for the 2011 ICCC. Heritage has received $14,873,571 from industry sources.

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SPONSORS
Here are the funding totals for organizations sponsoring Heartland's conference that are known to have received support from oil-fueled 'free market' foundations:

*= past sponsor. 

Accuracy in Media* 

• $3,120,000 – Scaife Foundations, 1998-2010

Americans For Prosperity* 

• $5,610,781 – Koch Foundations, 1998-2009

Americans for Tax Reform *

• $60,000 – Koch Foundations, 1998-2009
• $575,000 – Scaife Foundations, 1998-2010
• Total: $635,500 

Ayn Rand Institute*

• $25,000 – Koch Foundations, 1998-2009

Center for the Defense of Free Enterprise (CDFE)*

• $230,000 – ExxonMobil, 1998-2010

Center for the Study of Carbon Dioxide and Global Change*

• $85,000 – Koch Foundations, 1998-2009
• $100,000 – ExxonMobil, 1998-2010
• $100,000 – Scaife Foundations, 1998-2010
• Total: $285,000 

Committee for a Constructive Tomorrow (CFACT)*

• $12,285 – Koch Foundations, 1998-2009
• $582,000 – ExxonMobil, 1998-2010
• $1,915,000 – Scaife Foundations, 1998-2010
• Total: $2,509,285

Competitive Enterprise Institute (CEI)*

• $421,746 – Koch Foundations, 1998-2009
• $2,005,000 – ExxonMobil, 1998-2010
• $2,575,000 – Scaife Foundations, 1998-2010
• Total: $5,001,746

Foundation for Economic Education (FEE) 

• $27,592 – Koch foundations, 1998-2009
• $90,000 – Scaife foundations, 1998-2010 
• Total: $117, 592

George C. Marshall Institute*

• $310,000 – Koch Foundations, 1998-2009 ($70,000 in 2009)
• $840,000 – ExxonMobil, 1998-2010 (none in 2010)
• $2,595,000 received from Scaife foundations, 1998-2010 ($230,000 in 2010)
• Total: $3,435,310

Heartland Institute

• $20,000 – Koch foundations, 1998-2009 (none in 2009)
• $676,500 – ExxonMobil, 1998-2010 (none in 2010)
• Total: $696,500

Heritage Foundation

• $3,708,571 – Koch foundations, 1998-2009 ($618,571 in 2009)
• $670,000 – ExxonMobil, 1998-2010 ($50,000 in 2010)
• $10,495,000 – Scaife foundations, 1998-2010 ($600,000 in 2010)
• Total: $14,873,571

Independent Institute

• $50,000 – Koch foundations, 1998-2009 (none in 2009)
• $85,000 – ExxonMobil, 1998-2010 (none in 2010)
• Total: $135,000

Independent Women’s Forum (IWF)

• $485,000 – Koch foundations, 1998-2009 ($150,000 in 2009)
• $50,000 – ExxonMobil, 1998-2010 (none in 2010)
• $1,850,000 – Scaife foundations, 1998-2010 (none in 2010)
• Total: $2,385,000

Media Research Center (a.k.a. the Business & Media Institute)*

• $15,005 – Koch foundations, 1998-2009 (none in 2009)
• $362,500 – ExxonMobil, 1998-2010 (none in 2010)
• $3,667,000 – Scaife foundations, 1998-2010 ($250,000 in 2010)
• Total: $4 044 505

National Center for Policy Analysis (NCPA)

• $500,000 – Koch foundations, 1998-2009 ($25,000 in 2009)
• $645,900 – ExxonMobil, 1998-2010 (none in 2010)
• $1,575,000 – Scaife foundations, 1998-2010 ($100,000 in 2010)
• Total: 2,720,900

Science and Environmental Policy Project

• $20,000 – ExxonMobil, 1998-2000

Many of the conference's other sponsors have been indirectly funded by industry, or are tied to "free market" foundations:

60 Plus 

• Member of the Cooler Heads Coalition. 

African Center for Advocacy and Human Development 

• No funding information.

Alternate Solutions Institute American Energy Freedom Center*

• Received a $100,000 grant in 2008 from the Atlas Economic Research Foundation, which in turn has received over $1,080,000 from ExxonMobil, $153,000 from the Koch Foundations, and $2,270,000 from the Scaife Foundations.

American Policy Center

• No funding records.

American Tradition Institute

• The ATI’s staff include Chris Horner, senior fellow at the Competitive Enterprise Institute and a leading force in climate denial.  Horner edits the Cooler Heads Coalition’s website.   The ATI has successfully sued the University of Virginia for Dr Michael Mann’s emails and are now attempting a similar legal action at NASA to get Dr James Hansen’s emails.  

Australian Libertarian Society*

• No funding records.

Business and Media Institute*

• BMI is the sister organization to the large Media Research Center which has received $412,500 from ExxonMobil since 1998. 

Cascade Policy Institute*

• No funding records from Exxon, Koch, or Scaife. MediaMatters has compiled a list of other funders. 

Centro de Investigaciones de Instituciones y Mercados de Argentina 

• No funding records. 

Cathay Institute for Public Affairs

• No funding records. 

Cornwall Alliance for the Stewardship of Creation

• According to a report by Think Progress, the Cornwall Alliance is a front group for the shadowy James Partnership. Both the James Partnership and the Cornwall Alliance are closely linked to the Committee for a Constructive Tomorrow (CFACT), an anti-environmental group that is “funded by at least $542,000 from ExxonMobil, $60,500 from Chevron, and $1,280,000 from Scaife family foundations,

Energy Makes America Great Inc.

• No record of funding from Exxon, Koch, or Scaife.

Freedom Foundation of Minnesota

• No record of funding from Exxon, Koch, or Scaife.

Iceagenow.com

• No record of funding from Exxon, Koch, or Scaife.

Istitulo Bruno Leoni (Italy)

• No record of funding from Exxon, Koch, or Scaife.

International Climate Science Coalition (ICSC)

• Headed by Canadian Tom Harris (a speaker at this year’s conference), its personnel are the “who’s who” of international climate denial, including David Bellamy, Tim Ball, Julian Morris (Reason Foundation) and infamous Christopher Monckton. 

Instituto Liberdade

• No funding information. 

Instituto de Libre Empresa

• No funding information. 

Institute for Liberty (IFL)

• A Tea Party group in the United States founded by Andrew Langer, an ex-employee of the Competetive Enterprise Institute (CEI). 

Liberaty Institute (India)

• No funding information. 

Lavoisier Group*

• No funding records from Exxon, Koch, or Scaife. 
• From Sourcewatch: The group is closely associated with the Australian mining industry, and was founded in 2000 by Ray Evans, then an executive at Western Mining Corporation (WMC), who was also involved in founding the HR Nicholls Society and the Bennelong Society. Hugh Morgan, former WMC boss and head of the Business Council of Australia until 2005, delivered the group's inaugural speech.

Mannkal Economic Education Foundation

• No funding information. 

DENIAL-A-PALOOZA MAP 2011: Sponsors, Speakers and Funders
(view interactive map at ExxonSecrets):


Sources: Greenpeace, DeSmogBlog, Media Matters Action Network, ExxonMobil 2010 Contributions and Community Investments [PDF] and the Scaife foundations website (for 2010 grants and 2008 grants see the Carthage Foundation).

http://desmogblog.com/denial-a-palooza-round-6