ThinkProgress Logo

Climate Progress

That awkward conversation (about the climate)

I’ve spent a lot of time lately thinking about climate change liars. Those people who make a living deliberately deceiving the public about the scientific consensus on climate disruption. These people are awful, they know who they are. They have to live with their lies.

But what’s worse is the other lie I’ve discovered in the process. It’s the lie that I’m telling. It’s the lie that we all tell to our children and each other when we don’t talk about climate disruption. It’s the lie of us all pretending that everything will be OK.

People have lots of opinions about what it takes to be a great parent. But I’m pretty sure that this isn’t on anyone’s list: Lying to your children about the unraveling of nature and the catastrophes that will certainly follow.

That’s Richard Wiles, co-founder of the Environmental Working Group, on HuffPost.  Prior to EWG, Wiles was a senior staff officer at the National Academy of Sciences’ Board on Agriculture.

My daughter just turned 4, so I’m a long way away from having to have this conversation, but, of course, anyone who reads this blog knows what is coming (see A stunning year in climate science reveals that human civilization is on the precipice and links below).

The Wiles’ piece continues:

Read more

Bombshell: Chamber of Commerce lobbyists solicited firm to investigate opponents families, children

More head-exploding stuff, via a TP cross-post.  Be sure to read the final email in full on how they planned to use social media to exploit the account of their targets.

Thursday, ThinkProgress published an exclusive report that the law firm representing the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, a right-wing trade association representing big business, is working with set of “private security” companies and lobbying firms to undermine their political opponents, including ThinkProgress. According to e-mails obtained by ThinkProgress, the Chamber hired the lobbying firm Hunton and Williams. Attorneys for the firm solicited a set of private security firms “” HB Gary Federal, Palantir, and Berico Technologies (collectively called Team Themis) “” to develop a sabotage campaign against progressive groups and labor unions, including ThinkProgress, the labor coalition Change to Win, SEIU, US Chamber Watch, and StopTheChamber.com.

New emails reveal that the private spy company investigated the families and children of the Chamber’s political opponents. The apparent spearhead of this project was Aaron Barr, an executive at HB Gary. Barr circulated numerous emails and documents detailing information about political opponents’ children, spouses, and personal lives.

Read more

Industry supports EPA action on Clean Air Act

James Bradbury, in a World Resources Institute repost.
On Capitol Hill last week, industry leaders and other experts explained why the upcoming U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) standards on carbon dioxide emissions can benefit U.S. business and help drive innovation while keeping our air and water clean.
Read more

Switch to Mobile
ThinkProgress Signup Overlay Skip and Continue to ThinkProgress Skip and Continue to ThinkProgress

Sign Up