Denial-a-Palooza 6: Heartland's Sixth International Conference on Climate Change, Courtesy of Koch, Scaife & Exxon

Brendan DeMelle DeSmog
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The Heartland Institute is convening a whoโ€™s-who of the global warming denial machine in Washington, DC over the next two days for the sixth International Conference on Climate Change (ICCC6).

Seemingly content to let the world burn, the denizens of Denial-a-Palooza work year-round to sow doubt and confusion about climate change among the public – aided by Fox News and other friendly media outlets – so that no action is taken to limit heat-trapping gasses in the atmosphere. This event is attended by the best corporate front groups that polluter money can buy, and this year is no exception.

As in past years, the speakers and sponsors lists are dripping with oil money, and comprise nearly the full roster of groups who share a common interest – greenwashing dirty energy sources like oil and coal while simultaneously attacking the credibility of the worldโ€™s top climate scientists. The presentations will misrepresent the state of climate science, while the real action will take place backstage, as these groups coordinate their ongoing efforts to smear the reputation of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. (Note the intentional naming of this โ€œICCCโ€ to sound like the IPCC.)

Letโ€™s take a look at the funding of the sponsors of ICCC6:

17 of the 43 sponsors of the Heartland Instituteโ€™s Sixth International Conference on Climate Change, including the Heartland Institute itself, have collectively received over $46 million from either Scaife Foundations, Koch Foundations, or ExxonMobil and its foundation.

Most of these organizations, including many that choose not to disclose their funding sources, comprise the core of the industry attack on global warming science. See below for a complete breakdown of funding details:


Scaife Foundations (1998-2010): $28,557,000 ย ($12,205,000 more thanย 2010*)
Koch Foundations (1998-2009): $11,330,980 ($6,241,230 less thanย 2010)
ExxonMobil (1998-2010): ย  $6,276,900 ($311,350 less thanย 2010)
ย  ย  ย 
Total Funding (1998-2010):ย  $46,164,880

*The Heritage Foundation, notably absent from the 2010 ICCC, is a sponsor again for the 2011 ICCC. Heritage has received $14,873,571ย from industryย sources.


SPONSORS
Here are the funding totals for organizations sponsoring Heartlandโ€™s conference that are known to have received support from oil-fueled โ€˜free marketโ€™ย foundations:

*= pastย sponsor.ย 

Accuracy inย Media*ย 

  • $3,120,000 โ€“ Scaife Foundations,ย 1998-2010

Americans Forย Prosperity*ย 

  • $5,610,781 โ€“ Koch Foundations,ย 1998-2009

Americans for Tax Reformย *

  • $60,000 โ€“ Koch Foundations,ย 1998-2009
  • $575,000 โ€“ Scaife Foundations,ย 1998-2010
  • Total:ย $635,500ย 

Ayn Randย Institute*

  • $25,000 โ€“ Koch Foundations,ย 1998-2009

Center for the Defense of Free Enterprise (CDFE)*

  • $230,000 โ€“ ExxonMobil,ย 1998-2010

Center for the Study of Carbon Dioxide and Globalย Change*

  • $85,000 โ€“ Koch Foundations,ย 1998-2009
  • $100,000 โ€“ ExxonMobil,ย 1998-2010
  • $100,000 โ€“ Scaife Foundations,ย 1998-2010
  • Total:ย $285,000ย 

Committee for a Constructive Tomorrow (CFACT)*

  • $12,285 โ€“ Koch Foundations,ย 1998-2009
  • $582,000 โ€“ ExxonMobil,ย 1998-2010
  • $1,915,000 โ€“ Scaife Foundations,ย 1998-2010
  • Total:ย $2,509,285

Competitive Enterprise Institute (CEI)*

  • $421,746 โ€“ Koch Foundations,ย 1998-2009
  • $2,005,000 โ€“ ExxonMobil,ย 1998-2010
  • $2,575,000 โ€“ Scaife Foundations,ย 1998-2010
  • Total: $5,001,746

Foundation for Economic Education (FEE)ย 

  • $27,592 โ€“ Koch foundations,ย 1998-2009
  • $90,000 โ€“ Scaife foundations,ย 1998-2010ย 
  • Total: $117,ย 592

George C. Marshallย Institute*

  • $310,000 โ€“ Koch Foundations, 1998-2009 ($70,000 inย 2009)
  • $840,000 โ€“ ExxonMobil, 1998-2010 (none inย 2010)
  • $2,595,000 received from Scaife foundations, 1998-2010 ($230,000 inย 2010)
  • Total: $3,435,310

Heartlandย Institute

  • $20,000 โ€“ Koch foundations, 1998-2009 (none inย 2009)
  • $676,500 โ€“ ExxonMobil, 1998-2010 (none inย 2010)
  • Total:ย $696,500

Heritageย Foundation*

  • $3,708,571 โ€“ Koch foundations, 1998-2009 ($618,571 inย 2009)
  • $670,000 โ€“ ExxonMobil, 1998-2010 ($50,000 inย 2010)
  • $10,495,000 โ€“ Scaife foundations, 1998-2010 ($600,000 inย 2010)
  • Total: $14,873,571

Independentย Institute*

  • $50,000 โ€“ Koch foundations, 1998-2009 (none inย 2009)
  • $85,000 โ€“ ExxonMobil, 1998-2010 (none inย 2010)
  • Total:ย $135,000

Independent Womenโ€™s Forum (IWF)

  • $485,000 โ€“ Koch foundations, 1998-2009 ($150,000 inย 2009)
  • $50,000 โ€“ ExxonMobil, 1998-2010 (none inย 2010)
  • $1,850,000 โ€“ Scaife foundations, 1998-2010 (none inย 2010)
  • Total: $2,385,000

Media Research Center (a.k.a. the Business & Media Institute)*

  • $15,005 โ€“ Koch foundations, 1998-2009 (none inย 2009)
  • $362,500 โ€“ ExxonMobil, 1998-2010 (none inย 2010)
  • $3,667,000 โ€“ Scaife foundations, 1998-2010 ($250,000 inย 2010)
  • Total: $4 044ย 505

National Center for Policy Analysis (NCPA)

  • $500,000 โ€“ Koch foundations, 1998-2009 ($25,000 inย 2009)
  • $645,900 โ€“ ExxonMobil, 1998-2010 (none inย 2010)
  • $1,575,000 โ€“ Scaife foundations, 1998-2010 ($100,000 inย 2010)
  • Total:ย 2,720,900

Science and Environmental Policy Project (SEPP)*

  • $20,000 โ€“ ExxonMobil,ย 1998-2000

Many of the conferenceโ€™s otherย sponsors have been indirectly funded by industry, or are tied to โ€œfree marketโ€ย foundations:

60 Plus Association*ย 

African Center for Advocacy and Humanย Development*ย 

  • No fundingย information.

Alternate Solutions Institute American Energy Freedomย Center*

  • Received a $100,000 grant in 2008 from the Atlas Economic Research Foundation, which in turn has received over $1,080,000 from ExxonMobil, $153,000 from the Koch Foundations, and $2,270,000 from the Scaifeย Foundations.

American Policyย Center*

  • No fundingย records.

American Traditionย Institute

  • The ATIโ€™s staff include Chris Horner, senior fellow at the Competitive Enterprise Institute and a leading force in climate denial. ย Horner edits the Cooler Heads Coalitionโ€™s website. ย  The ATI has successfully sued [Correction: U.Va was already in the process of compiling the emails prior to ATIโ€™s lawsuit against] the University of Virginia for Dr Michael Mannโ€™s emails and are now attempting a similar legal action at NASA to get Dr James Hansenโ€™s emails.ย ย 

Australian Libertarianย Society*

  • No fundingย records.

Business and Mediaย Institute*

Cascade Policyย Institute*

Centro de Investigaciones de Instituciones y Mercados deย Argentinaย 

  • No fundingย records.ย 

Cathay Institute for Publicย Affairs*

  • No fundingย records.ย 

Cornwall Alliance for the Stewardship ofย Creation

  • According to a report by Think Progress, the Cornwall Alliance is a front group for the shadowy James Partnership. Both the James Partnership and the Cornwall Alliance are closely linked to the Committee for a Constructive Tomorrow (CFACT), an anti-environmental group that is โ€œfunded by at least $542,000 from ExxonMobil, $60,500 from Chevron, and $1,280,000 from Scaife familyย foundations,

Energy Makes America Greatย Inc.

  • No record of funding from Exxon, Koch, orย Scaife.

Freedom Foundation ofย Minnesota

  • No record of funding from Exxon, Koch, orย Scaife.

Iceagenow.com

  • No record of funding from Exxon, Koch, orย Scaife.

Istitulo Bruno Leoniย (Italy)

  • No record of funding from Exxon, Koch, orย Scaife.

International Climate Science Coalition (ICSC)

Institutoย Liberdade*

  • No fundingย information.ย 

Instituto de Libreย Empresa*

  • No fundingย information.ย 

Institute for Liberty (IFL)*

  • A Tea Party group in the United States founded by Andrew Langer, an ex-employee of the Competetive Enterprise Institute (CEI).ย 

Liberaty Instituteย (India)

  • No fundingย information.ย 

Lavoisierย Group*

Mannkal Economic Educationย Foundation*

  • No fundingย information.ย 

DENIAL-A-PALOOZA MAP 2011: Sponsors, Speakers and Funders
(view interactive map at ExxonSecrets):
Denialapalooza Heartland ICCC6

Sources: Greenpeace, DeSmogBlog, Media Matters Action Network, ExxonMobil 2010 Contributions and Community Investments [PDF] and the Scaife foundations website (for 2010 grants and 2008 grants see the Carthage Foundation).

Brendan DeMelle DeSmog
Brendan is Executive Director of DeSmog. He is also a freelance writer and researcher specializing in media, politics, climate change and energy. His work has appeared in Vanity Fair, The Huffington Post, Grist, The Washington Times and other outlets.

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