| Revision as of 17:56, 10 April 2010 editKimDabelsteinPetersen (talk | contribs)Extended confirmed users, Pending changes reviewers19,610 edits →Funding: citation needed - this is contradicted by later material in this same section.← Previous edit | Revision as of 20:07, 10 April 2010 edit undoFellGleaming (talk | contribs)3,690 edits not what source says.Next edit → | ||
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| ==Funding== | ==Funding== | ||
| Friends of Science claims that they do not receive any direct funding from petroleum or related companies.{{cn}} Critics have asserted that the Friends of Science |
Friends of Science claims that they do not receive any direct funding from petroleum or related companies.{{cn}} Critics have asserted that the Friends of Science has close links to the oil and gas industry.<ref>{{citeweb | ||
| {{citeweb | |||
| | url = http://www.thestar.com/article/175673 | |||
| | title = Who's still cool on global warming? | |||
| | accessdate = 2007-03-05}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | title=Getting Astroturfed | first=Sarah | last=Veale | publisher=] | accessdate=2007-04-24 | url=http://www.viewmag.com/viewstory.php?storyid=4924&page=1}}</ref> | |||
| with close links to the oil and gas industry.<ref>{{citeweb | |||
| | url = http://www.cbc.ca/fifth/denialmachine | | url = http://www.cbc.ca/fifth/denialmachine | ||
| | title = The Denial Machine - a ] documentary about climate scepticism and funding | | title = The Denial Machine - a ] documentary about climate scepticism and funding | ||
Revision as of 20:07, 10 April 2010
| Founded | 2002 |
|---|---|
| Type | Climate change skepticism |
| Focus | Canadian public policy |
| Location | |
| Website | http://www.friendsofscience.org |
Friends of Science is a Canadian non-profit organization of mainly retired geologists and atmospheric scientists founded in 2002 and based in Calgary, Alberta. The group is suspicious of the claims that man-made climate change will be a catastrophic threat. The group looks at the scientific merit of the Kyoto Protocol and, more generally, of global warming.
Its advisors are Madhav Khandekar, Chris de Freitas, Tim Patterson and Sallie Baliunas. As of December, 2009, the current president of Friends of Science is Douglas Leahey.
Claims
Friends of Science states that the satellite and balloon temperature records indicate no significant global warming has taken place over the last three decades.
Friends of Science states:
- Accurate satellite, balloon and mountain top observations made over the last three decades have not shown any significant change in the long term rate of increase in global temperatures. Average ground station readings do show a mild warming of 0.6 to 0.8 C over the last 100 years, which is well within the natural variations recorded in the last millennium. The ground station network suffers from an uneven distribution across the globe; the stations are preferentially located in growing urban and industrial areas ("heat islands"), which show substantially higher readings than adjacent rural areas ("land use effects").
Friends of Science has produced a 23 minute on-line video that claims to contrast the views of politicians and scientists on the question of climate change. The scientists on the video included consultant Tim Ball, Professor of Geology Tim Patterson of Carleton University, and Professor of Political Science Barry F. Cooper of the University of Calgary, all of whom are known for skepticism with regard to the mainstream scientific view on global warming.
Funding
Friends of Science claims that they do not receive any direct funding from petroleum or related companies. Critics have asserted that the Friends of Science has close links to the oil and gas industry. The Friends of Science say their "efforts to bring balance to the climate change debate are being restricted because of our lack of funding. We have mostly relied upon the good nature of our members, with some contributions from Charitable Foundations. There has also been some funding from “big oil”. But they seldom smile on us. They appear to believe that marketing is more important than historical climate information…Your support is essential for getting things done! Without it, we will probably have to shut down operations within the year."
Funds do not come directly from industry donors but are instead solicited for the Calgary Foundation, a charitable funds administrator which maintains a policy of not disclosing the identity of donors. The donations are then passed on to the Science Education Fund, an account at the University of Calgary set up by Prof. Barry Cooper. In the final step, the Science Education Fund uses those funds to support the activities of the Friends of Science. Friends of Science does not disclose details of their funding sources, though Cooper has stated that their funds are "not exclusively from the oil and gas industry."
References
- "Friends of Science". Retrieved 2008-12-08.
- Friends of Science Membership Quarterly Newsletter No. 20, December, 2009, page 1, President's Message
- "Myths/Facts: Common Misconceptions About Global Warming". Retrieved 2007-03-05.
- "Climate Catastrophe Cancelled: What You're Not Being Told About the Science of Climate Change". Retrieved 2007-03-05.
- "The Denial Machine - a [[Canadian Broadcasting Centre|CBC]] documentary about climate scepticism and funding". Retrieved 2007-03-05.
{{cite web}}: URL–wikilink conflict (help) - Friends of Science Newsletter, April 2007
- ^ Charles Montgomery (2006-08-12). "Mr. Cool: Nurturing doubt about climate change is big business". Globe and Mail. Retrieved 2007-05-01.