With all due respect to Don Draper sometimes the best way to sell a message isn't a clever campaign, but the truth. A recently exposed whopper conjured up by climate change deniers highlights exactly what is behind the fight against climate change solutions: lies. The site Fight Clean Energy Smears has been tracking the attempts by a very small minority of deniers out there who are using, quite simply, lies to protect their interest in the status quo.
In this vain attempt, a small group of Heartland Institute enthusiasts petitioned the American Physical Society's stance on acknowledging global warming and the causal links of human activity. The 206 signatures on the petition challenged the 47,000 member strong stance on the merits of scientific fact. Now the funny part... Not only did the APS reject this lame attempt at spreading propaganda, but it issued a 128-page report debunking the science, exposing the petitioners qualifications, diagramming the how the "gaggle is not a consensus" group try to distort the truth of science.
When is enough going to be enough with this type of public distraction. This is not a trial of public opinion. And if it were Mother Nature would have all the expert witnesses on her side saying, "Global warming exists and it is caused by human activity." End of story.
Truth in advertising is usually the domain of the Better Business Bureau, but one of the Smears of the Week comes straight from the Edward Bernays playbook on manipulating public opinion. A Washington Post ad taken out by the oil funded Citizensenergy.org group claimed that the Kerry-Boxer Bill on climate change will cause the loss of 2-million jobs. Fear monger! The source of their research - studies by the climate change denier National Association of Manufactures and the Exxon funded American Council for Capital Formation. Fortunately, a group with more legitimate research credentials known as The University of California, Berkley produced a study showing conclusive data that adopting clean energy and climate legislation could produce 1.9-million jobs.
It is so concerning that in an age where infinite information lays at our finger tips, there are still such a tolerance for purveyors of lies and deceit. These are not even the elaborate concoctions from Lost writers. They are just plain ole' "tell the opposite of the truth and hope nobody fact checks" lies. Climate change is real and without action it will continue to have serious consequences on humanity. Yes - our very existence is riding on the truth that science has unequivocally provided. There is no need for doomsday fear mongering. Facts are facts. The good news is there is hope. There is hope the climate bill will pass. There is hope that the economy will recover on the back of new jobs provided in the clean energy sector. And there is hope that smear campaigns will be abandoned.
If you come across smears denying climate change exists or its connection with human activity expose it. Post it to Fight Clean Energy Smears and we can end the nonsense and get to the real work of solutions.