Ninety-seven percent of climate scientists say that climate change is happening and that humans have caused it, but only four in ten Americans realize it’s true. In a manner similar to the tobacco industry’s failed attempt to convince us that cigarettes are neither harmful or addicting, a relatively few “think tanks” have done their best to assure us that the earth is not warming, or if it is, the warming is not caused by human activity (anthropogenic sources).

The “think tanks” are typified by the Competitive Enterprise Institute and the Heartland Institute — both funded in part by Exxon Mobil and the Koch brothers. Their ongoing messages of denial have been endlessly repeated and amplified by ideological conservative groups and conservative media who abhor government intervention in our lives.

For example, Fox News only comments on Global Climate Change during cold spells, and prohibits informed discussion. And on January 6, 2014, Rush Limbaugh was moved to question the existence of the well-established Polar Vortex phenomenon (and global warming, given the week’s record-breaking low temperatures), thus earning him a “Pants on Fire” rating from Politifacts. Here is a worthwhile summary of the myths that have been generated by global warming deniers. It includes the myth of 31,000 scientists signing the OISM Petition which appeared in a letter to the editor of the Baker City Herald on July 22, 2013.

And if that weren’t enough, even the “60-Minutes” story on January 5, 2014, on investments in alternative energy production was largely misleading, as they stretched to concoct a controversial story on the 3 percent of companies that failed.

And here is a chart illustrating how those who wish to mislead us can misuse annual variations in global temperatures. (Click on the “GIF” button.)The deception is based on finding short-term negative shifts within the overall long-term increase.

[WPGP gif_id=”206″ width=”600″]

Please join us in exposing and refuting this sort of deception, and helping us define meaningful solutions, such as a revenue-neutral carbon tax, as we work together to preserve our way of life.