On September 22-24, hundreds of spokespersons for big corporations will gather on Chicago’s Navy Pier to discuss how they can cash in on public worries about “global warming.” The timing of the “Corporate Climate Response” event could hardly be worse for its sponsors.
The Farmer’s Almanac just announced the world is in for a long-term cooling trend. Global temperatures have been falling for at least the past eight years and today are no warmer than they were when the false alarm was first sounded in 1988.
Two months ago, the U.S. Senate rejected a “cap-and-trade” bill when it became known that the legislation would cause an enormous increase in energy costs but would have no effect on the global climate. Most scientists now believe the effect of carbon dioxide on climate is too small to outweigh natural cycles.
The corporations sponsoring the Navy Pier event–including Exelon and Ford Motor Company–are begging for corporate welfare.
Not content with making money the old fashioned way by producing value for consumers they want to use government programs to take money from unwilling consumers. They are lobbying for laws that give them enormous subsidies, raise energy costs, and reduce consumer choices.
Sometime in the past year or so, the “global warming crisis” was cancelled. The corporations and environmental advocacy groups behind the “Corporate Climate Response” event must not have received the memo.
Joseph Bast ([email protected]) is president of The Heartland Institute.
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.
