TruthMarket on Monday announced a campaign challenging those skeptical about catastrophic, man-caused climate change to offer proof that more than 5 percent of “credible American scientists dispute global warming or that it is likely caused by humans.” According to the campaign: “The first person who can deliver verifiable evidence that significantly fewer than 95 percent of qualified American scientists believe in the reality of global climate change and that humans are a likely cause will win the $5,000 bounty.”
The Heartland Institute, which was described by The Economist this year as “the world’s most prominent think tank promoting skepticism about man-made climate change,” has published essays about the “Myth of the 98%” and the so-called consensus on climate change – both by Heartland President Joseph Bast.
The following statement from James M. Taylor, senior fellow for environment policy at The Heartland Institute, may be used for attribution. For more comments, refer to the contact information below. To book a Heartland guest on your program, please contact Tammy Nash at [email protected] and 312/377-4000. After regular business hours, contact Jim Lakely at [email protected] and 312/731-9364.
“This so-called global warming challenge reinforces the ignorance and/or willful misrepresentation of global warming extremists in the global warming debate. Most skeptics of global warming alarmism believe the Earth has modestly warmed during the past century in the aftermath of the Little Ice Age, and most skeptics of global warming alarmism believe there is some human contribution to the warming. Accordingly, the so-called global warming challenge is nothing more than a straw-man tactic designed to mislead the public about the real debate.
“The true issue of contention between alarmists and skeptics is whether the Earth is likely to warm in such a rapid and catastrophic manner as to justify the economy-killing solutions advocated by global warming alarmists. I will personally pay a $5,000 bounty to the first person who can deliver verifiable evidence that 95 percent of qualified American scientists believe human-caused global warming is occurring in such a rapid and catastrophic manner as to justify the economy-killing solutions advocated by global warming alarmists.”
James M. Taylor
Senior Fellow for Environmental Policy
The Heartland Institute
[email protected]
941/776-5690
The Heartland Institute is a 28-year-old national nonprofit organization headquartered in Chicago, Illinois. Its mission is to discover, develop, and promote free-market solutions to social and economic problems. For more information, visit our Web site or call 312/377-4000.
