Three liberal Democrats in the U.S. House of Representatives came together today to condemn a nonprofit research and education organization for sending its research to school teachers.
According to a news release, Democratic Reps. Raul Grijalva of Arizona, Rep. Eddie Bernice Johnson of Texas, and Rep. Bobby Scott of Virginia “called on Heartland to end its campaign immediately and for education officials across the country to dismiss the materials out of hand. The scientific consensus that manmade emissions are worsening the process of climate change has been widely accepted, including by the Department of Defense, for many years.”
The remarks below by Joseph Bast, president of The Heartland Institute, are for attribution. To read a free PDF version of Why Scientists Disagree About Global Warming – mailed to tens of thousands of science teachers across America – click here. To watch footage of Heartland’s 12th International Conference on Climate Change, click here.
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Joseph Bast, president, The Heartland Institute:
“Is this a belated April Fool’s Day joke? If not, it should be. This is hilarious.
“The Heartland Institute is a 33-year-old national nonprofit educational organization. Distributing research and commentary on matters of public policy – such as environmental protection, in this case – is what we do. And no, we’re not going to stop because you happen to disagree with us.
“This is not the first time Grijalva has condemned The Heartland Institute and other organizations and individuals for daring to question the so-called ‘scientific consensus’ on global warming. In 2015, he sent threatening letters to the employers of a half-dozen scientists whose work contradicted claims that global warming was man-made and dangerous. Now, that crossed the line.
“Here is what is really going on. The Heartland Institute is distributing free copies of its latest book, Why Scientists Disagree About Global Warming, to teachers, college professors, and civic and business leaders around the country. The book is available for free online here. (You should check it out.)
“The book was written by three distinguished climate scientists: Dr. Craig Idso, Dr. Robert M. Carter (1942–2016), and Dr. S. Fred Singer. The authors look closely at the claim of a ‘scientific consensus’ that most of the climate change that occurred in the past 50 years was due to human activity and that future climate change will be dangerous. It reveals that the claim is false: There is no survey of scientists or review of the literature that shows such a consensus. In fact, the most reliable surveys and reviews show a preponderance of skepticism.
“Heartland sent the book to teachers with a cover letter asking them to ‘consider the possibility that the science in fact is not “settled.” If that’s the case, then students would be better served by letting them know a vibrant debate is taking place among scientists on how big the human impact on climate is, and whether or not we should be worried about it.’ That sounds pretty reasonable, doesn’t it? Not, apparently, to out-of-touch Democrats in Washington DC.
“On November 8, 2016, voters elected a president who said global warming is not the crisis that President Obama and environmentalists made it out to be. He said if he were elected, he would end the war on fossil fuels, rein in the Environmental Protection Agency, and pursue a pro-energy, pro-environment, and pro-jobs agenda. He got elected, and he’s attempting to do that … and Democrats are freaking out.
“My advice to Grijalva and his colleagues is that they pull their heads out of the sand long enough to read the book. Then they will understand why scientists, voters, and now the President of the United States all believe global warming is not a crisis. It’s time to move on, find another fake crisis to hype to scare voters and raise campaign dollars. The global warming scare is over.”
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Joseph Bast is a Senior Fellow at The Heartland Institute. He cofounded Heartland in 1984, serving as executive director then as president & CEO until January 2018. His research and writing focuses on climate change and energy policy.
