Climate Denial
In a 2011 report, the Pacific Research Institute for Public Policy wrote:
“The earth’s climate changes constantly, usually on time scales that are much longer than the average human lifespan but relatively short in geological terms. The historical record suggests that climate shifts can happen suddenly, for reasons that remain unclear. The argument that currently observable climate changes are outside the range of normal climate variability is a key tenet of the climate campaign, and despite the incessant refrain about the ‘consensus’ that ‘the debate is over,’ this core question is far from settled.”
Anti-Environment Campaign
In 2015, The Pacific Research Institute launched a video series on the environment titled “Hysteria’s History,” aimed at influencing the youth’s perception of climate change and other environmental issues.
On it website, the institute states,
“This web-based series is part of PRI’s effort to inject facts and reason into the debates over climate change, water quality, and other environmental policy issues. PRI hopes that this new web series will be used by teachers, professors, and student groups on college campuses to show how the problems facing the environment need real solutions based on science.”
Episode 1: Hysterias History: “Why Havent We Starved to Death?” — September 10, 2014
Episode 2: Hysterias History: “Why Haven’t We Run Out of Oil?” — December 3, 2014
Episode 3: “Why hasn’t the chihuahua gone extinct?” — May 19, 2015
Episode 4: July, 2015 — “Why is Alarmism so Dangerous?”
Cooler Heads Coalition
The Pacific Research Institute for Public Policy has been a member of Cooler Heads Coalition (CHC), the longest running association of climate change denying organizations, since 1998. An investigation by CIC as shown that from 1997-2015 the combined grants from ExxonMobil to CHC members top 11 million dollars. Since its inception, the organization has used a variety of tactics to distort public opinion on climate change and influence decision making in Washington. For decades the coalition has authored bias reports, held briefings on Capital Hill, and released weekly newsletters attacking “climate change alarmists”. Originally founded by Consumer Alert, the coalition and its website is now funded by the Competitive Enterprise Institute. Myron Ebell, former head of Trump’s EPA transition team and CEI’s director of the Center for Energy and Environment, is the chair of the CHC.
ExxonMobil Funding
The Pacific Research Institute for Public Policy has received $680,000 from Exxon from 1997-2009. Of that total, $50,000 dollars worth of grants were earmarked specifically for climate change related programs.
2004 Exxon Climate Grants