by Brad Johnson
Koch Industries billionaire David H. Koch is the wealthiest man in New York City, with a net worth of $31 billion. His fortune is built on polluting the climate system, from refining, pipeline, chemical, fertilizer, cattle, and forestry operations. The rising seas and superheated oceans made Hurricane Sandy into a monster that has caused upwards of $50 billion of damage to the greater New York area, by early estimates. Constructing a sea barrier to defend against future sea level rise will cost another $10 billion.
Not only has Koch Industries dumped billions of tons of carbon into the air, David Koch has spent hundreds of millions of dollars promoting climate deniers and Tea Party ideologues who fight regulation of carbon pollution.
In 2010, Koch told New York Magazine that global warming should be welcomed, even as coastlines dwindle from the rising seas:
Koch says he’s not sure if global warming is caused by human activities, and at any rate, he sees the heating up of the planet as good news. Lengthened growing seasons in the northern hemisphere, he says, will make up for any trauma caused by the slow migration of people away from disappearing coastlines. “The Earth will be able to support enormously more people because a far greater land area will be available to produce food,” he says.
In January 2011, ThinkProgress reporter Lee Fang confronted Koch as he left the swearing-in ceremony for Speaker John Boehner (R-OH). Fang questioned why Koch’s Tea Party front group, Americans for Prosperity supported climate denial and what his own position on climate science was:
FANG: Why does Americans for Prosperity focus so much on the science of climate change? I’m just curious why they spread so much information that denies the existence of climate, of global warming?
KOCH: Well… I think it’s uh, regulating CO2 excessively is going to put — uh really damage the economy.
FANG: Do you believe in climate change yourself? [...] Do you believe in climate change yourself, Mr. Koch?
KOCH: Climate does fluctuate. It goes from hot to cold. We have ice ages.
FANG: But do you believe carbon pollution affects climate change? [Koch shrugs]
Watch it:
David Koch should pledge his fortune to pay the government of New York City for all necessary repairs and investments to guard against future sea level rise and fossil-fueled storms.
Brad Johnson is the campaign manager of Forecast the Facts and ClimateSilence.org
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- An Illustrated Guide to the Science of Global Warming Impacts: How We Know Inaction Is the Gravest Threat Humanity Faces
- Scientists find “net present value of climate change impacts” of $1240 TRILLION on current emissions path, making mitigation to under 450 ppm a must.
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Language Intelligence: Lessons on persuasion from Jesus, Shakespeare, Lincoln, and Lady Gaga
AGW Hurricane Sandy is bringing out mob rule from the EssoKochs’ thug –
Joey didn’t want you to know that Caleb’s storm trooping appeared on 2-Watts’ denier-site and envy replaces science. “Nov 02, 2012 … Reply to Hurricane Sandy Alarmists … Caleb Shaw … I did correctly predict the fact that, when the inevitable happened … certain individuals would use the event to promote their Global Warming Agenda. … Sandy was a Wuss … It helps a lot if you … grab them by the lapels and repetitively hoist them up and slam them down, launching into a rave … in … explaining Truth to Alarmists” (whistlesuckers perfuming the stink at Joey D’Aleo’s icecap.us).
What you are describing is called “backlinking.” It is a “Black-Hat” (i.e. agains’t Google’s SEO rules) technique used by professional online PR “activist engagement,” (i.e. astroturfers). WUHT seems to benefit greatly from these types of efforts, including the use by astroturfer pros of “Bots,” software that emulates actual online posters which can be used to automatically-disseminate SEO-optimized posts to multiple boards online.
Look up “mememine” and “mememine69″ in Google. Notice any similarities in the posts that are listed? The same post over-and-over. “Obama has not mentioned the crisis in the last two State of the Unions addresses” is one of the talking points used in this post. Enter that into Google. The same list of talking points, posted on an endless sea of comments boards.
Monbiot’s “Robot Wars” article writ large.
He is a grumpy old man with no visions. After him people will transition to a clean economy and it will bring economic stimulus.
There is a type who draw satisfaction from being revenged on those who will be living when they have returned to the carbon cycle.
Anyone who supports this guy, or any of his pocket candidates, is a sucker.
Where’s Ms Germanotta when she’s wanted? She could write a great song about this; though, obviously, it would have to be banned from broadcast.
Sue him for the cost of Sandy
“The Earth will be able to support enormously more people because a far greater land area will be available to produce food,” sez D. H. Koch.
This is a very problematic assumption — so problematic that I would call it absurd. Considering the loss of land caused by rising sea levels, the changing rainfall patterns making dust bowls of some fertile areas, and the poor soils in other areas (like glacier-scoured northern Canada), I see little to support it.
Also, his statement that “Lengthened growing seasons in the northern hemisphere will make up for any trauma caused by the slow migration of people away from disappearing coastlines” simply does not compute. How could longer growing seasons compensate for the trauma of being forced from one’s home?
This is the rich man, certain of his safety in his fortified redoubt, surrounded by (he hopes) loyal droogs, and utterly indifferent to the suffering of the ‘little people’.
“Behind every great fortune likes a great crime.’ Honore de Balzac.
Not as eloquent as our Mulga, but a kindred spirit.
Sorry. Behind every great fortune LIES a great crime (not LIKES).
Freudian slip! I’m not worthy to be compared to one of Balzac’s toe-nails, but I’d love a sculpture like the one that Rodin did of the great man.
A ‘kindred spirit’ to Balzac! Now, that’s a compliment. I’m quite overcome.
Someone needs to drop David Koch off in the middle of the Canadian Shield with a bag of wheat and corn seed and told to get on with showing us how it will be done, preferably in late May at the start of black fly season.
Oh, the black flies,
The little black flies,
Always the black flies
no matter where you go…
Koch doesn’t care about “the economy”. To him, that phrase means strictly money for the evil twins.
David and Charles are really screwing themselves. Their behavior is so outrageous- and illegal- that they are setting themselves up for being taken over by the government. Their wealth belongs to the people, since it is the result of so much mischief. They will try to hide it overseas, no doubt, but Interpol will track them down.
The Kroch brothers will, one day soon, be recognized as the most violent criminals in the annals of humankind.
Right next to Stalin, who killed millions for some crazy vision. In the Koch’s case it’s profit.
climate action might damage mr koch’s personal economy but it will help the economy of my family and most everyone I know. can we please get started?
HEAR HEAR LET THE US BEGIN IN ERNEST
The total cost to repair the damage from Sandy would likely have been sufficient to “winterize” all the homes in the US. More generally, the costs associated with climate adaption are orders of magnitude greater than the costs associated with minimizing global warming…