The Denial Machine - Fascinating Documentary on Climate Change
I just finished watching a very interesting Fifth Estate documentary about global climate change called “The Denial Machine”. The full show (without comercials) is available online and runs about 40 minutes. Occasionally the video cuts out, but you can easily find your spot again. Watch it HERE
I was really impressed with the fact that a big mainstream (Canadian) media organization like CBC would get involved in this type of reporting. It truly speaks volumes in terms of the importance of the issues at hand.
Here is a description of the documentary found on the Fifth Estate page:
In the past few years, a hurricane has engulfed the debate about global warming. This scientific issue has become a rhetorical firestorm with science pitted against spin and inflammatory words on both sides.
How could scientific fact, which many believe could determine the very future of the planet, become a political battleground, pitting left versus right, environmentalist versus climate change sceptic?
Global warming: potential costs?
A recent British report estimates that the projected costs of global warming to be as costly as both world wars and the Great Depression added together. Yet, with such consequences, some scientists still insist that climate change, if it is happening at all, could be a good thing.The Denial Machine investigates the roots of the campaign to negate the science and the threat of global warming. It tracks the activities of a group of scientists, some of whom previously consulted for for Big Tobacco, and who are now receiving donations from major coal and oil companies.
Who is keeping the debate of global warming alive?
The documentary shows how fossil fuel corporations have kept the global warming debate alive long after most scientists believed that global warming was real and had potentially catastrophic consequences. It shows that companies such as Exxon Mobil are working with top public relations firms and using many of the same tactics and personnel as those employed by Phillip Morris and RJ Reynolds to dispute the cigarette-cancer link in the 1990s. Exxon Mobil sought out those willing to question the science behind climate change, providing funding for some of them, their organizations and their studies.
Again, I strongly encourage anyone interested in environmental issues and/or politics to take 40 minutes and watch the show. Here is the link: The Denial Machine
Regardless of your views it is a really interesting documentary.
Technorati Tags: denial machine, fifth estate, CBC, global warming, climate change, frank luntz, co2 emissions, kyoto, tobacco
Written by Bentley on November 21st, 2006 with
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