The climate science denying Independent Committee on Geoethics (ICG) is continuing to associate its September “New Dawn of Truth” conference with the University College London (UCL) despite organisers no longer having a venue for the event, DeSmog UK has learned.
DeSmog UK understands that the ICG’s climate denial conference was originally advertised as being hosted by the University after a visiting professor was asked to book a room for an external event.
But as soon as the visiting professor was made aware of the content of the conference by their head of department, they cancelled the booking as they did not want to be associated with ICG‘s climate science denial and decided that it would be inappropriate for the conference to be hosted at UCL.
The Independent Committee on Geoethics counts Lord Monckton and Patrick Moore amongst its steering committee members, along with Australia’s blogger JoNova and the UK’s Rev Philip Foster, who recently organised a meeting of climate science deniers in Paris while the international COP21 talks were taking place across the city.
Monckton has written that the purpose of the group is to investigate climate scientists for “fraud” and push for their prosecution.
Their September event will see discussion on typical climate science denial tropes such as the influence of the sun and the planets on climate change along with a presentation by Piers Corbyn (the climate sceptic brother of Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn) on “the total failure of the ManMade Climate Change story”.
Meanwhile Monckton is set to give a keynote speech on “Genocidal climate science”.
False Advertising
Last week at the request of UCL the ICG did clarify on its website that the event is “totally independent and has no connections to UCL” however it continues to advertise it as being hosted at the University.
This is despite event organisers confirming to both UCL and DeSmog UK that the conference does not actually have a venue at the moment and requests from UCL for the event details to be changed to reflect this fact.
Rex Knight, Vice-Provost of operations at UCL, said: “I was in email contact with the organisers a few days ago. They confirm that the conference will not take place at UCL, they are looking for an alternative venue, and they will amend the website when they have secured one.
“I have, of course, asked them to amend it immediately but we don’t really have any way of compelling them to do so.”
Ross Marsh, ICG local events coordinator, has also confirmed to DeSmog UK that “the event is not being held at UCL anymore. As to where it is being held yet I am not sure,” adding that the website details would be updated “ASAP”.
Photo: Don Irvine via Flickr
