A Reintroduction to the Climate Denying Duo Known as the Koch Brothers

The Koch brothers use the media to promote their climate denying circus of lies. Here is a succinct summary of their environment killing crusade.


The Koch Brothers

Koch Industries is the second largest privately held company in America and the company's owners Charles and David Koch are tied as the fifth wealthiest people in the nation, worth a combined $43 billion. They earned their fortunes through a host of climate change causing industries including oil refining, ranching, mining, paper products, fertilizer, and chemicals. They own companies like Georgia Pacific, Invista, Koch Pipeline Company, Flint Hill Resources , Koch Fertilizer and Matador Cattle Company. If you shop for toilet paper, beef, and fuel you are likely to be indirectly funding the most successful climate change denial machine of the 21st century.

Koch Media Stooges

Glenn Beck was guest of honor at the Koch's semiannual event early this year. Other attendees included Philip Anschutz, owner of the Examiner newspapers and the Weekly Standard; Charles Krauthammer, syndicated columnist and Weekly Standard contributor; Stephen Moore, Wall Street Journal editorial board member; and Ramesh Ponnuru, senior editor for The National Review.

Buying Climate Denial Controversy

The Kochs have spent $31.3 million since 2005 on organizations that deny or downplay climate change because they have a vested interest in ignoring environmental conerns.

Their campaign of denial includes support for the blog Planet Gore. The Koch brothers also weild their influence by financing the work of organizations like the Competitive Enterprise Institute (CEI).

The Koch's have provided financial support for numerous climate denial front organizations. The Cato Institute has received $13 million from Koch family foundations since 1998. The National Review's Jim Manzi is part of the Manhattan Institute which has received $1.5 million in Koch family money, Phil Kerpen of Americans for Prosperity has accepted $5.5 million from the Kochs, Jonathan Adler of the Federalist Society has been the beneficiary of $2 million in Koch money, and the Pacific Research Institute for Public Policy (PRI) has received $1.2 million in Koch money.

© 2011, Richard Matthews. All rights reserved.

Related Posts
Right Wing War Against Sustainability
Greenpeace Exposes the Koch Brothers
Koch Industries Financing Climate Denial
Koch Industries' Environmental Crimes
Koch Industries Destroys the Environment and Funds Climate Denial
Lego and Mattel Bow to Greenpeace Pressure and Eliminate Unsustainable Packaging
Nike and H&M Bow to Greenpeace's Detox Challenge
Social Action Driving Businesses to Adopt Sustainable Practices
Greenpeace Turns 40
Cooperation Between Environmental Organizations and Businesses
Greenpeace and the Revolutionary Power of Social Media Driving Corporate Changes
Greenpeace Campaign is Asking Facebook to Defriend Coal
Greenpeace's Ranking of Electronic Companies
Greenpeace's Best Green Electronics
Greenpeace's G20 Checklist
Video: Greenpeace Spoofs Volkswagen's Dark Side
Obama's 2009 Visit to Canada: Tarsands Protest

Right Wing War Against Sustainability

A right wing front-group funded by big oil has launched a misinformation campaign against environmental groups and companies that are working to engage more sustainable practices. In a widely distributed letter they dismiss renewable energy and threaten to boycott companies for being more environmentally responsible.

This propaganda campaign comes from a group known as Consumer Alliance for Global Prosperity (CAGP) which is a front-group formed in August of 2010. They are behind a campaign they call "Pulp Wars" which attacks environmental groups and corporations that have agreed to stop sourcing pulp products and palm oil from Indonesia.

The spokesman for CAGP is Andrew Langer, who is the founder and president of the Institute for Liberty (IFL), one of two listed supporters of CAGP. CAGP was exposed as a front group in a New York Times article by Mike Mcintire. The other supporter is Frontiers of Freedom, a right wing front group funded by Exxon, the Koch brothers, and Phillip Morris.

On 23 November, 2010, CAGP created a report entitled "Pulp Wars" which attacks environmental groups and corporations who have tried to limit deforestation in Indonesia. The report is politically motivated propaganda and contains numerous inaccuracies.

In a letter laced with lies, CAGP front man Andrew Langer tells Americans that, "Green jobs don't work." He dismisses solar energy as "pie-in-the-sky" and he has a message for CEOs who are becoming more environmentally responsible: "stop this, or else I will boycott your company and will be forced to shop elsewhere."

The right is engaged in manipulative politics, it is little wonder that America is falling behind in green economic development. The destructive propaganda coming from the right is not only highly divisive it is making America less competitive. America is being deceived by political misinformation campaigns designed to serve the partisan political interests of the old energy economy.

© 2011, Richard Matthews. All rights reserved.

Related Posts
A Reintroduction to the Climate Denying Duo Known as the Koch Brothers
Greenpeace Exposes the Koch Brothers
Koch Industries Financing Climate Denial
Koch Industries' Environmental Crimes
Koch Industries Destroys the Environment and Funds Climate Denial
Lego and Mattel Bow to Greenpeace Pressure and Eliminate Unsustainable Packaging
Nike and H&M Bow to Greenpeace's Detox Challenge
Social Action Driving Businesses to Adopt Sustainable Practices
Greenpeace Turns 40
Cooperation Between Environmental Organizations and Businesses
Greenpeace and the Revolutionary Power of Social Media Driving Corporate Changes
Greenpeace Campaign is Asking Facebook to Defriend Coal
Greenpeace's Ranking of Electronic Companies
Greenpeace's Best Green Electronics
Greenpeace's G20 Checklist
Video: Greenpeace Spoofs Volkswagen's Dark Side
Obama's 2009 Visit to Canada: Tarsands Protest