Climate Exit (Clexit)
Background
Climate Exit (Clexit) is a climate science denial group formed shortly after the UK’s decision to leave the EU. According to Clexit’s founding statement (PDF), “The world must abandon this suicidal Global Warming crusade. Man does not and cannot control the climate.”1“After Brexit, Clexit” (PDF), Clexit.net. Archived .pdf on file at Desmog.
As DeSmog2Kyla Mandel. “Mapped: The Cosy Climate-Euro Sceptic Bubble Pushing for Brexit and Less Climate Action,” DeSmog, June 13, 2016. and Climate Home reported, many of the UK‘s leading “Leave” campaigners also have a history of promoting climate science denial.3“Meet the climate sceptics backing the Brexit campaign,” Climate Home, June 13, 2016. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/8FB1t
Viv Forbes, an Australian climate science denier and a director of Stanmore Coal, serves as secretary of Clexit. Other notable climate science deniers serving on the “Clexit Committee” include Christopher Monckton (President) and Marc Morano (Vice President).
Introducing Clexit’s founding statement, Forbes announced that the enforcement of the Paris climate treaty would be “a global tragedy”:
“For the EU and the rest of the Western world, ratification and enforcement of the Paris Treaty (and all the other associated decrees and Agendas) would herald the end of low-cost hydrocarbon transport and electricity, and the exit of their manufacturing, processing and refining industries to countries with low-cost energy,” Forbes said. “Carbon dioxide does not control the climate. It is an essential plant food and more carbon dioxide will produce more plant growth and a greener globe.”4“After Brexit, Clexit” (PDF), Clexit.net. Archived .pdf on file at Desmog.
As DeSmog reports, another key member of Clexit’s “60 well-informed science, business and economic leaders” is Hugh Morgan, a former board member of the Reserve Bank of Australia5Graham Readfearn. “After Brexit, Climate Science Denialists Form New Group to Call for a Clexit,” Desmog, August 3, 2016. and former CEO of Western Mining Corporation with close ties to Australia’s Liberal party.6“Hugh Morgan AO,” Australian Government Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. Archived February 22, 2002. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/1ObOB
According to Clive Hamilton’s book Scorcher: The Dirty Politics of Climate Change, Hugh Morgan was a central industry figure in building opposition to climate action within the Liberal Party in the 1990s and early 2000s. Morgan was also the president of the Lavoisier Group, an organisation that fought against ratification of a previous UN climate agreement, the Kyoto Protocol.7Graham Readfearn. “After Brexit, Climate Science Denialists Form New Group to Call for a Clexit,” Desmog, August 3, 2016.
Clexit Founding Statement
Below are some additional excerpts from the Clexit founding statement (view the entire .pdf document here):8“After Brexit, Clexit” (PDF), Clexit.net. Archived .pdf on file at Desmog.
“If the Paris climate accord is ratified, or enforced locally by compliant governments, it will strangle the leading economies of the world with pointless carbon taxes and costly climate and energy policies, all with no sound basis in evidence or science […]”
“The EU is a driving force promoting green energy, environmental extremism, world carbon taxes and global control by unelected bureaucrats. Brexit was Britain’s answer to the growing over-reach of EU bureaucracies. Clexit is our answer to the push for global control through climate hysteria. […]
“This vicious and relentless war on carbon dioxide will be seen by future generations as the most misguided mass delusion that the world has ever seen. Carbon dioxide is NOT a dangerous pollutant – it is a natural, non-toxic and beneficial gas which feeds all life on earth. Its increasing concentration is improving the environment, not harming it. Carbon dioxide is also an insignificant player in global warming. Its so-called ‘greenhouse effect’ is far smaller than that of atmospheric water vapour and, because this effect declines logarithmically as carbon dioxide levels rise, most of its small impact on surface temperature is already exhausted.”
“The Clexit Campaign aims to prevent ratification or local enforcement of the UN climate treaty. Nations should not tolerate UN and EU bureaucrats manipulating science in order to justify their dreams to redistribute wealth and revert to the central planning that enslaved and impoverished the old command economies […]”
“Global warming has occurred naturally many times in the past and is not to be feared – it is not controlled by carbon dioxide or humans […]”
Stance on Climate Change
“Global warming has occurred naturally many times in the past and is not to be feared – it is not controlled by carbon dioxide or humans […]”9“After Brexit, Clexit” (PDF), Clexit.net. Archived .pdf on file at Desmog.
Funding
As Clexit is not a registered non-profit organisation, no public funding records are available. Additional information will be posted here as it becomes available.
Key People
Two people are listed on Clexit’s “About/Join” page:10“About/Join,” CLEXIT. Archived November 25, 2017. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/ZTPTv
- Chief Executive: Roger Tattersall, UK
- Secretary: Viv Forbes
The following people were listed on Clexit’s initial “Members” document (PDF):11“The Clexit Committee comprises” (PDF), Clexit.net. Archived.pdf on file at Desmog.
Clexit Committee
| Name | 201612“The Clexit Committee comprises” (PDF), Clexit.net. Archived.pdf on file at Desmog. | 201713“Clexit now comprises 190 members from 26 counties” (PDF), Clexit.net. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog. | Description |
| Albrecht Glatzle | Y | Y | |
| Bernard Beauzamy | Y | ||
| Bienvenido “Nonoy” Oplas, Jr | Y | SE Asia | |
| Bryan Leyland | Y | Y | |
| Christopher Monckton | Y | Y | President |
| Hans Labohm | Y | ||
| István E. Markó | Y | ||
| Jens Morten Hansen | Y | Denmark | |
| Leonello Serva | Y | Italy | |
| Marc Morano | Y | Y | Vice President |
| Mark Duchamp | Y | Y | |
| Nils-Axel Mörner | Y | ||
| Ole Humlum | Y | Y | |
| Philip Lloyd | Y | ||
| Pierre L. Gosselin | Y | ||
| Roger Tattersall | Y | ||
| Shigenori Maruyama | Y | ||
| Steve Milloy | Y | ||
| Tim Ball | Y | Y | |
| Václav Klaus | Y | Y | |
| Víctor Manuel Velasco Herrera | Y | ||
| Viv Forbes | Y | Y | |
| Will Happer | Y | Y | |
| Willie Soon | Y |
Founding Members
| Name | 201614“The Clexit Committee comprises” (PDF), Clexit.net. Archived.pdf on file at Desmog. | 201715“Clexit now comprises 190 members from 26 counties” (PDF), Clexit.net. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog. |
| Alan Clague | Y | Y |
| Alan Moran | Y | Y |
| Anne Rochet | Y | Y |
| Anthony R. Lupo | Y | Y |
| Bernard Beauzamy | Y | |
| Bernard Rochet | Y | Y |
| Bill Lindqvist | Y | Y |
| Craig Idso | Y | Y |
| David Archibald | Y | Y |
| David Evans | Y | Y |
| Dennis Mitchell | Y | |
| Dieter Ameling | Y | Y |
| Don Easterbrook | Y | Y |
| Frank Endres | Y | Y |
| Geoff Derrick | Y | Y |
| Geoff Duffy | Y | Y |
| George Devries Klein | Y | Y |
| Gerrit J. van der Lingen | Y | Y |
| Gordon J. Fulks | Y | Y |
| Guy LeBlanc Smith | Y | Y |
| Hans Labohm | Y | |
| Helmut Böttiger | Y | Y |
| Howard C Hayden | Y | Y |
| Hugh Morgan | Y | Y |
| Ian Plimer | Y | Y |
| István E. Markó | Y | |
| Jay Lehr | Y | Y |
| Joanne Nova | Y | Y |
| John Stone | Y | Y |
| Kesten C. Green | Y | Y |
| Klaus L.E. Kaiser | Y | Y |
| Klaus-Jürgen Goldmann | Y | Y |
| Kyoji Kimoto | Y | |
| Lubos Motl | Y | Y |
| Madhav Khandekar | Y | Y |
| Michael Limburg | Y | Y |
| Nils-Axel Mörner | Y | |
| Patrick Moore | Y | Y |
| Paul Driessen | Y | Y |
| Paul Homewood | Y | Y |
| Peter Ellis | Y | Y |
| Randall Bell | Y | Y |
| Reg Brownell | Y | Y |
| Scott Armstrong | Y | |
| Sebastian Luening | Y | Y |
| Shigenori Maruyama | Y | |
| Steve Goreham | Y | Y |
| Víctor Manuel Velasco Herrera | Y | |
| W.C. “Rusty” Riese | Y | Y |
| Weston Allen | Y | Y |
| Wibjörn Karlén | Y | Y |
| Willie Soon | Y | |
| Wolfgang Peter Thüne | Y | Y |
| Aziz I Adam | Y | |
| Habibullo Abdussamatov | Y | |
| Arundeep Ahluwalia | Y | |
| Tim Allen | Y | |
| Charles Anderson | Y | |
| J Scott Armstrong | Y | |
| Ron Arnold | Y | |
| Sture Astrom | Y | |
| Franck A Audemard | Y | |
| Franco Battaglia | Y | |
| Charles Barnes | Y | |
| Peter Benkendorff | Y | |
| Stein Bergsmark | Y | |
| Edwin X Berry | Y | |
| Guus Berkhout | Y | |
| Peter Bloemers | Y | |
| Dominic Boot | Y | |
| Pierre Bouteille | Y | |
| Howard Thomas Brady | Y | |
| Terence Cardwell | Y | |
| Alan Carlin | Y | |
| Andrew Chapman | Y | |
| Uberto Crescenti | Y | |
| Howard Crozier | Y | |
| Peter Cunningham | Y | |
| Michael Darby | Y | |
| Steve Davison | Y | |
| Anne Debeil | Y | |
| Lars Myren | Y | |
| Helen W Dehn | Y | |
| Paul Deverson | Y | |
| Harold H. Doiron | Y | |
| Aert Driessen | Y | |
| John Droz | Y | |
| John Dale Dunn | Y | |
| Helen Dyer | Y | |
| Rod Eaton | Y | |
| Ole Henrik Ellestad | Y | |
| Jerry Ellis | Y | |
| Per-Olof Eriksson | Y | |
| Robert W Felix | Y | |
| Edward Patrick Flaherty | Y | |
| Tim Florin | Y | |
| Richard C. Forrester III | Y | |
| Hugh French | Y | |
| Martin P. Fricke | Y | |
| Ross Garling | Y | |
| François Gauchenot | Y | |
| Francois Gervais | Y | |
| Paul Goard | Y | |
| Leo W. S. de Graaff | Y | |
| Giovanni Gregori | Y | |
| Kees de Groot | Y | |
| Peter Harris | Y | |
| John Happs | Y | |
| Michael Hart | Y | |
| Olof Hellstrom | Y | |
| Martin Hertzberg | Y | |
| John Heugh | Y | |
| Tony Hope | Y | |
| Ed Hoskins | Y | |
| Hans Jelbring | Y | |
| Bryce W. Johnson | Y | |
| Claes Johnson | Y | |
| Jyrki Kauppinen | Y | |
| Hugh Kendrick | Y | |
| William (Bill) Kininmonth | Y | |
| Johnny Kronvall | Y | |
| Johannes Kruger | Y | |
| Olav Martin Kvalheim | Y | |
| Keith Laing | Y | |
| Cornelis A. (Kees) de Lange | Y | |
| Lubert Leger | Y | |
| Pieter Lukkes | Y | |
| Franco Maranzana | Y | |
| Val Martin | Y | |
| Dennis Mitchel | Y | |
| Des Moore | Y | |
| Phil Mortimer | Y | |
| Jamal Munshi | Y | |
| Daniel W Nebert | Y | |
| John Nichol | Y | |
| Niichi Nishiwaki | Y | |
| Ingemar Nordin | Y | |
| Robert J. Novak | Y | |
| Yuki Tsuruta Oike | Y | |
| Cliff Ollier | Y | |
| Jane M. Orient | Y | |
| C. (Kees) le Pair | Y | |
| Albert Parker | Y | |
| Gösta Pettersson | Y | |
| Herman A. (Alex) Pope | Y | |
| Alistair Pope | Y | |
| Willem Post | Y | |
| Harry N.A. Priem | Y | |
| John Reid | Y | |
| Ken Ring | Y | |
| Dave Rittenhouse | Y | |
| Malcolm Roberts | Y | |
| James H. Rust | Y | |
| Tom V. Segalstad | Y | |
| Thomas P.(Tom) Sheahen | Y | |
| Rabbe Sjoberg | Y | |
| Jan-Erik Solheim | Y | |
| Walter Starck | Y | |
| Leighton Steward | Y | |
| Kjell Stordahl | Y | |
| Pat Swords | Y | |
| Tom Tanton | Y | |
| Dirk Thoenes | Y | |
| Arve Tunstad | Y | |
| Fred Udo | Y | |
| Arthur Viterito | Y | |
| Michael Wargo | Y | |
| Steve Welcenbach | Y | |
| David Whitehead | Y | |
| Ken Williams | Y | |
| Michael M. Williamson | Y | |
| Lawrence Wilson | Y | |
| David Wojick | Y | |
| Mike Wort | Y | |
| Tom Wysmuller | Y |
Regional Directors (2017) 16“The Clexit Committee comprises” (PDF), Clexit.net. Archived.pdf on file at Desmog.
| Name | Description |
| Albrecht Glatzle | |
| Bernard Beauzamy | |
| Bienvenido “Nonoy” Oplas, Jr | SE Asia |
| Bryan Leyland | |
| Geir Aaslid | Norway |
| Hans Labohm | |
| István E. Markó | |
| Jens Morten Hansen | Denmark |
| Leonello Serva | Italy |
| Mark Duchamp | |
| Nils-Axel Mörner | |
| Philip Lloyd | Africa |
| Pierre L. Gosselin | Germany |
| Shigenori Maruyama | |
| Steve Milloy | USA |
| Tim Ball | |
| Víctor Manuel Velasco Herrera |
Actions
May–June, 2017
CLEXIT members made multiple pleas to President Trump to withdraw from the Paris Climate Agreement, shortly before Trump’s official decision to withraw which he announced on June 1, 2017.17Sharon Kelly. “Trump Abandons Paris Climate Deal At Bidding of Fossil Fuel Interests,” DeSmog, June 1, 2017.
On May 18, Viv Forbes, Secretary of the “Clexit Coalition,” warned that nations would suffer from “destructive energy policies.” In the article, titled “Kill the Paris Treaty and Rip Put the Roots” statements were put forward by a range of climate science deniers at CLEXIT.18“Kill the Paris Treaty and Rip Out the Roots,” Clexit.net, May 18, 2017. Archived June 8, 2017. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/s1TPI
“Americans never felt compelled to sign up to international folly in the past. I hope the United States once again shows the common sense of its people and walks away from the Paris Agreement.”
“There is no free energy in the real world. All world leaders, not only President Trump, should stop promoting the empty game of energy poverty and deaths.”
“President Trump knows he must keep the promises made at his public rallies. For example, he made the commitment to get out of Paris in his Harrisburg Pennsylvania speech […]”
“There is no justification for the War on carbon dioxide – CO2 does not drive global temperature and Earth’s climate cannot be tweaked by erecting windmills or putting taxes on carbon dioxide. CO2 is naturally sequestered by oceans and the biosphere. Burning natural hydrocarbons merely recycles Earth’s carbonaceous nutrients vital to all life – already world food production and global forests have benefitted from the small increases in carbon dioxide plant food in Earth’s atmosphere.”
Clexit also featured an article by Will Happer, originally published in The Washington Times, where he argues “The Case for Nixing the Paris Agreement.” According to Happer, “[…] more CO2 is not a pollutant but is a benefit to humanity. The ‘social cost of carbon,’ aka CO2, is negative. It is immoral to prevent developing countries from using reliable, inexpensive fossil fuels to escape centuries of poverty.”19Will Happer. “The Case for Nixing the Paris Agreement,” Clexit. May 25, 2017. Archived June 8, 2017. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/xk1F7 20Will Happer. “The Case for Nixing the Paris Agreement,” The Washington Times, May 23, 2017. Archived June 7, 2017. Archive.is URL:https://archive.is/awXeu
August 2, 2016
Viv Forbes promoted the new Clexit Campaign at Canada Free Press, announcing that “The Paris Climate Treaty should be torn up.” His full statement below:21Viv Forbes. “Clexit Creeps Closer,” Canada Free Press, August 2, 2016. Archived August 4, 2016. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/psyZf
The “CLEXIT” Campaign (CLimate Exit) which originated in Australia was inspired by the Brexit decision of the British people to withdraw from the increasingly dictatorial EU bureaucracy. Clexit is spreading world-wide (16 countries already).
Clexit aims to prevent ratification of the costly and dangerous Paris global warming treaty which is being promoted by the EU/UN and their green army.
This war on hydro-carbon energy has already caused massive losses to western industry. If allowed to continue as envisaged by the Paris Treaty, economic depression will follow and all nations will suffer.
We must stop this futile waste of community savings; cease the destruction and dislocation of human industry; stop killing rare bats and birds with wind turbine blades and solar/thermal sizzlers; stop pelletising trees to feed power stations designed to burn coal; stop converting food to motor vehicle fuel; and stop the clearing of bush and forests for biofuel cultivation and plantations.
The Paris Climate Treaty should be torn up!
Carbon dioxide does not control the climate. It is an essential plant food and more carbon dioxide will produce more plant growth and a greener globe.
July 7, 2016
According to WHOIS records, Viv Forbes registered Clexit.net on July 7, 2016. The group’s first post, their summary statement, is dated August 1, 2016.22“Whois Record for ClExit.net,” Wdomaintools.com. Accessed August 4, 2016. Archived .pdf on file at Desmog.
Other Resources
Resources
- 1“After Brexit, Clexit” (PDF), Clexit.net. Archived .pdf on file at Desmog.
- 2Kyla Mandel. “Mapped: The Cosy Climate-Euro Sceptic Bubble Pushing for Brexit and Less Climate Action,” DeSmog, June 13, 2016.
- 3“Meet the climate sceptics backing the Brexit campaign,” Climate Home, June 13, 2016. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/8FB1t
- 4“After Brexit, Clexit” (PDF), Clexit.net. Archived .pdf on file at Desmog.
- 5Graham Readfearn. “After Brexit, Climate Science Denialists Form New Group to Call for a Clexit,” Desmog, August 3, 2016.
- 6“Hugh Morgan AO,” Australian Government Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. Archived February 22, 2002. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/1ObOB
- 7Graham Readfearn. “After Brexit, Climate Science Denialists Form New Group to Call for a Clexit,” Desmog, August 3, 2016.
- 8“After Brexit, Clexit” (PDF), Clexit.net. Archived .pdf on file at Desmog.
- 9“After Brexit, Clexit” (PDF), Clexit.net. Archived .pdf on file at Desmog.
- 10
- 11“The Clexit Committee comprises” (PDF), Clexit.net. Archived.pdf on file at Desmog.
- 12“The Clexit Committee comprises” (PDF), Clexit.net. Archived.pdf on file at Desmog.
- 13“Clexit now comprises 190 members from 26 counties” (PDF), Clexit.net. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog.
- 14“The Clexit Committee comprises” (PDF), Clexit.net. Archived.pdf on file at Desmog.
- 15“Clexit now comprises 190 members from 26 counties” (PDF), Clexit.net. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog.
- 16“The Clexit Committee comprises” (PDF), Clexit.net. Archived.pdf on file at Desmog.
- 17Sharon Kelly. “Trump Abandons Paris Climate Deal At Bidding of Fossil Fuel Interests,” DeSmog, June 1, 2017.
- 18“Kill the Paris Treaty and Rip Out the Roots,” Clexit.net, May 18, 2017. Archived June 8, 2017. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/s1TPI
- 19Will Happer. “The Case for Nixing the Paris Agreement,” Clexit. May 25, 2017. Archived June 8, 2017. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/xk1F7
- 20Will Happer. “The Case for Nixing the Paris Agreement,” The Washington Times, May 23, 2017. Archived June 7, 2017. Archive.is URL:https://archive.is/awXeu
- 21Viv Forbes. “Clexit Creeps Closer,” Canada Free Press, August 2, 2016. Archived August 4, 2016. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/psyZf
- 22“Whois Record for ClExit.net,” Wdomaintools.com. Accessed August 4, 2016. Archived .pdf on file at Desmog.
