Advance the Science

An open memo to key organizations skeptical of catastrophic anthropogenic climate change.

To:    American Enterprise Institute

American Legislative Exchange Council

Cato Institute

Competitive Enterprise Institute

Heartland Institute

Heritage Foundation

Manhattan Institute for Policy Research

From: The Mark H. Berens Family Charitable Foundation (https://www.therightinsight.org/)

Subject: Federal Government Climate Study Funding

Federal funding of research to advance our understanding of the earth’s climate and the factors which affect it is both reasonable and necessary.

Regrettably, much of recent federal funding related to climate has been directed toward studies which use flawed climate data, unverified climate models and unrealistic Representative Concentration Pathways (RCPs) to produce “scary scenarios” of potential future climate catastrophes. Arguably, such studies contribute nothing to advancing our understanding of the climate. Rather, they are intended solely or primarily to attempt to convince the citizenry to accept the climate science ”consensus” and the actions urged by the consensed climate science community, climate change activists in federal departments and agencies, environmental activist groups, and the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change; and, to provide material to the media to assist in that effort.

We find it difficult to believe that the US Congress authorized and appropriated these funds with the knowledge or intent that they would be used for purposes other than the advancement of the science. Furthermore, we find it difficult to believe that the federal departments and agencies contracting for these studies do not know that these studies are based on flawed data, unverified models, uncertain fundamental inputs and unrealistic RCPs.

Under federal appropriation and budgetary rules, the government is not authorized to purchase valueless services. While those contracting for these services directly might believe that they have value, that value is clearly more as propaganda than as science.

These concerns would appear to justify a specific and detailed Freedom of Information Act demand that the Federal government produce documents underlying its climate policies, climate change research priorities and climate change expenditures.

The resulting information might well become the focus of a class action lawsuit on behalf of all US taxpayers. Such a suit might have significant educational value for US taxpayers, as it would expose government efforts to incite citizen acquiescence and action based on uncertain and flawed science, as opposed to government efforts to expand understanding of the science.

Recent acknowledgements by members of the consensed climate science community regarding the shortcomings of the current near-surface temperature anomaly products and that the current ensemble of climate models are “running hot” reinforce the uncertainties and flaws in the science underlying these “scary scenarios”.

We urge your organizations to form a consortium to prepare and file such a Freedom of Information Act demand to provide a potential basis for a class action lawsuit on behalf of US taxpayers.