Science vs. Profit

There are a lot of interesting intersections of stories on the web and newspapers today. Yesterday I blogged about the record profits of Exxon Mobil. Now, Exxon Mobil has been exposed for trying to pay scientists to debunk the conclusions of an international panel of climate experts who today have pretty much laid at the foot of mankind the responsibility of global warming. I guess this shouldn't surprise us anymore than the number of proposals for dirty coal fueled power plants that are being proposed. One of them is the Desert Rock facility on the Navajo Reservation. The plant will emit about 10 million tons of CO2 per year, plus lots of ozone, mercury, and other pollutants crippling NM’s attempt to reduce CO2 emissions.
At least the New Mexico State Legislature has so far tabled tax incentives for that disastrous project.

Then along comes the Catron County Commission who says they will decide when Gray Wolves will be killed in the wild instead of the scientists at the Fish and Wildlife Service.

At the same time there is a great interview in Grist with Frank Luntz, the Republican strategist who has spent a good part of his career designing communications strategies to debunk environmentalists. I actually think he makes some very good points that all environmentalists should consider.