Paid to Deny?

     Dr. Willie Soon apparently has been paid by some of the biggest greenhouse gas emitting companies in the fossil fuel industry to say that Anthropogenic Climate Change is not happening. Multiple media outlets have written about the story. Senator is calling for a hearing to get to the bottom of this. Some of you may ask, "is that really necessary? A Senate hearing?" Yes, it is necessary. Why is it a big deal that the scientists that is the darling of conservative politicians and the fossil fuel industry has been paid over $1.2 million dollars while he says climate change isn't happening? Well, here are a few reasons:

1. He didn't report the "funding" for over $1 million given to his research since 2008. It speaks to his integrity and suggests that he was hiding something, which takes more than a chunk out of his credibility. It also suggests that he is in it for the money, which would explain why he is in the minority who dismiss Climate Change as a hoax.

2. The companies and organizations funding his "research" are the same companies who stand to lose billions of dollars if climate change regulations are enacted. Exxon Mobile, the American Petroleum Institute and one of the Koch brothers charitable foundations, to name a few. Why aren't they funding real scientists who study climate? If their claims that global warming and climate change aren't happening, why not spend millions to fund the 97% of the leading climate scientists to discover that on their own? Because it is happening, that's why.

3. The Tobacco companies did this very thing back int he 1960's. They paid doctors to say smoking didn't cause cancer and did not kill you. We see how all of that turned out.

4. Finally, its a big deal because it means people are being paid to lie. To you, to me, to the American people, to the rest of the world. These companies are trying to make it seem like there is an equal debate about the facts and findings about Climate Change. 97-3 is not an equal and healthy debate. Its a landslide. even with a margin for error of +/- 3%, those scientists not being paid by Big Oil and Big Coal win.

     What Soon is doing is illegal. He has been lying and now there is a money trail that many suspected was there. Disclosing it before now and standing up for his scientific opinions on Climate Change would have lent him more credibility. Now, he just looks like he was less than honest.