In a recent column, Positive Growth Alliance President Rich Collins once again espouses the PGA line that “special interests are using fear of manmade global warming to exert more and more control over citizens.” This time he cites “two highly qualified scientists, Dr. Willie Soon and Dr. David Legates, who [at a seminar] explained in scientific terms that the extremely high levels of global warming and sea-level rise that Delaware’s government is currently predicting is ‘almost surely not occurring.’ ”
‘Almost surely not occurring?’ What a strange juxtaposition of words – especially for scientists.
I decided to learn about these two scientists who ‘almost surely’ believe something is not happening. Here are a few items I found about Willie Soon:
1. A FOIA request revealed that more than half (over $1.3 million) of his funding since 2001 has come from oil, electric and coal industries.
2. Since 2002, every new grant Willie Soon has received has been from either oil and coal interests or Donors Trust, the trust used by the Kochs and other wealthy elites to obscure their contributions.
3. Since 2002, Donors Trust and Donors Capital Fund have sent $146 million to 102 groups that deny climate science and obstruct policy solutions to global warming.
4. ExxonMobil Foundation has heavily funded Dr. Soon in at least four grants between 2005 and 2010 totaling $335,000. One grant was for "Exxon-Arctic climate change."
While I found many more examples, I believe these are sufficient to show how dependent Willie Soon is on funds from the fossil-fuel industries and the Koch brothers.
The same is true of Delaware’s David Legates, the other scientist Mr. Collins cites. The Competitive Enterprise Institute, who once listed Legates as an adjunct scholar, received more than $2 million from ExxonMobil. An internet search will also show his work is published by a number of ExxonMobil-funded institutions who have regularly taken stands or sponsored reports questioning the science behind climate change warnings.
So when Rich Collins cites scientists who state something is ‘almost surely not occurring’ I suggest we follow the money.
Joanne Cabry
Rehoboth Beach
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