Guest essay by Eric Worrall
The Climate Institute, a previously well funded climate NGO promoting support for the Paris Agreement and other climate causes, has announced it will close due to lack of money, after a failed call for philanthropic donations to keep their doors open.
Climate Institute to shut due to lack of philanthropic support
Australia’s original climate change-focused think-tank and lobby group will shut after it failed to replace the multi-million-dollar bequest it relied on.
The Climate Institute, known for its research and leading role in public debate since being set up in 2005, will close in June.
It comes 18 months after the institute called for public donations to offset the lapsing of the foundational support set up by Rupert Murdoch’s niece, Eve Kantor, and her husband, farmer Mark Wootton.
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“We are disappointed that some in government prefer to treat what should be a risk-management issue as a proxy for political and ideological battles,” he said.
“They are increasingly isolated as the costs of inaction mount and the opportunities and benefits of action become ever clearer.”
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The Press Release from the Climate Institute;
Chair of Board announces closure of The Climate Institute
Mar 08, 2017 – 5:14pm
The Board of The Climate Institute (TCI) has announced that the TCI will cease to operate on June 30 2017. The Board announced that the decisions comes as a result of being unable to establish the viable level of funding that would enable The Climate Institute to continue in a meaningful, sustainable form.
TCI has conducted ground-breaking research; built influential strategic partnerships among business, investor, welfare, union and other community groups; achieved domestic and diplomatic public policy outcomes; helped shape change to the regulatory landscape and driven the evolution of financial sector climate risk management, particularly among superannuation and institutional funds, domestically and internationally (see attached list of achievements on following page).
Through its Climate of the Nation series, TCI has also conducted what is now the longest trend survey of the attitudes of Australians to climate change and its solutions.
“With the expiry of its original founding bequest, and despite ongoing support from a range of philanthropic and business entities, the Board has been unable to secure sufficient funding to continue the level and quality of work that is representative of TCI’s strong reputation,” said Board Chair Mark Wootton, who was among the original founding Directors and has been Chair since 2007.
“The Climate Institute has been a provider of pioneering research and a leading advocate for credible, practical climate policy throughout a tumultuous period in Australian public, investor and business decision-making.
“TCI is often described as a trusted broker and critical friend, and we are proud of the way it has built understanding and consensus among a wide variety of stakeholders on such a complex, challenging and important issue. “We are disappointed that some in Government prefer to treat what should be a risk management issue as a proxy for political and ideological battles. They are increasingly isolated as the costs of inaction mount and the opportunities and benefits of action become ever clearer,” he said.
When established in 2005 for an intended five-year life, TCI was the only non-government organisation focussed solely on climate change. TCI has now been joined by many other organisations with a significant focus on climate change. Regulators and investors are beginning to seriously integrate climate risk and opportunity management. The historic Paris agreement provides a framework for international accountability and action. There has also been a stunning recent surge in affordability and scale of clean energy alternatives.
“While challenges still abound, the landscape is much stronger than it was twelve years ago when TCI was first established. The Board is proud of the achievements of The Climate Institute, and its staff, in making an enduring contribution towards its 2050 vision of a resilient Australia prospering in a zero-carbon global economy, participating fully and fairly in international climate change solutions.”
TCI will see a core body of projects to fruition by June 30, and the Board will work with other organisations to ensure key aspects of its work continue through 2017 and beyond. A Transition Sub-Committee has been established to oversee this work.
The Board has also reluctantly accepted the resignation of John Connor who has been Chief Executive Officer of The Climate Institute since February 2007. From April, Mr Connor will be working with Baker McKenzie, heading up the Fijian Government’s COP 23 Secretariat which has been established for the purpose of Fiji’s Presidency of the 23rd Convention of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. John has been a dedicated and highly skilled CEO at TCI and has been pivotal to our achievements.
Olivia Kember, Head of Policy will assume the role of Acting CEO.
The Board will make final determinations on the future of The Climate Institute and its work before June 30.
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The Climate Institute appear to have found it impossible to survive on less than a million dollars per year. Receipts in 2014 dropped to $727,000, down from over three million dollars in previous years.
In my opinion they could probably have done more to trim expenses.
For example, The Climate Institute website appears to be a bespoke effort powered by Lateral Systems. I am not disrespecting the quality of their web pages, but the Lateral Systems product seems quite expensive, though no doubt comparable to similar bespoke offerings.
By comparison, WUWT runs on WordPress.com – a content management system which allows people to create a new website for free.
If I have correctly understood the Lateral Systems product page, the Climate Institute likely paid 10s of thousands of dollars every year for their website. This is a substantial and in my opinion unnecessary standing cost, for an organisation which relies on donations to survive.
Perhaps if the Climate Institute hadn’t started existence with a large though limited term annual multi-million dollar grant, they might have learned how to conserve scarce resources.
Bell curve of interest in climageddon has peaked, and is in decline, and with that, donation sources are scattering, moving on to other topics.
may many follow
“a result of being unable to establish the viable level of funding that would enable The Climate Institute to continue in a meaningful, sustainable form.”
They were never sustainable on their own in the first place. Let alone “meaningful.”
Not like any NGOs have used preferred to “treat what should be a risk-management issue as a proxy for political and ideological battles” . Noooooo. Of course not. THAT’S DIFFERENT.
Why did John Connor resign from the Climate Institute? So he wouldn’t be Terminated😋
It sounds like he saw the writing on the wall and managed to find a government gig in Fiji.
I expect that his job will be to tap into the billions of climate dollars available.
commieBob,
Found this paragraph in your linked article:
I wish someone would train me how to “access the money.”
Most bank robbers use guns.
The smart ones use government.
The entire AGW movement has always been “a proxy for political and ideological battles”. Instead of being science based, it has been the opposite. Global power and control at any cost has been the objective.
Peak climageddon!!
Yes TG. The sustainability crowd have figured out that one of the least sustainable things are their lies and distortions.
I think this institute has at last discovered what the word “sustainable” means. 🙂
Aww, that’s really sad. But if renewables are starting to burst at the seams with economic viability, and the zero carbon future is near at hand, why not tap into Big Green for a contribution to keep things going? Surely these renewable companies will soon be flush with cash as the fossil fuel industry folds its tent and leaves the energy field to them. Surely they could spare a few million to keep the institute going. Surely!
Sorry roger. Didn’t see your post until after I made mine.
Maybe taxpayer-sourced “dark money” funding has dried up because it was unsustainable (to use a favorite term of certain people). It’s unprecedented.
I don’t think so…
I think the money has just shifted….the people that were funding climate change…..are just putting their money somewhere else……….now going to “women’s march”, BLM, Occupy, Overthrow/Impeach Trump, etc
“With the expiry of its original founding bequest, and despite ongoing support from a range of philanthropic and business entities, the Board has been unable to secure sufficient funding to continue the level
and quality of work that is representative of TCI’s strong reputation,of first-class travel to exotic locales, fine hotels, high salaries and other god-like treatment and perks we have become used to and will demand whether or not the earth is being destroyed” said Board Chair Mark Wootton, who was among the original founding Directors and has been Chair since 2007.There, I fixed it for him.
He must have been misquoted or was it a bad tweet?
Make America Great Again………..
All the more labour available to dig coal
Hey Latitude! A couple of years back, the EU banned powerful kitchen appliances.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/eu/11061538/EU-to-ban-high-energy-hair-dryers-smartphones-and-kettles.html
If the greenies get the US to do the same thing, we can all say, “Make America Grate Again!”
🙂
Right on the button…!
They say: “…the Board has been unable to secure sufficient funding to continue the level and quality of work that is representative of TCI’s strong reputation…”
But they don’t say how much would be enough.
It would be interesting to know how much these guys were paid; and by whom.
Also, are there any funds left; and what will happen to these?
Seeing no Shumer-like tears at being forced to “move on”, one must wonder where they are going, with so little fanfare…
Lies are very hard to sustain without ignorant politicians willing to steal from taxpayers to fund them. Good riddance.
+1
+1 from me, too!
“The Climate Institute has been a provider of pioneering research and a leading advocate for credible, practical climate policy throughout a tumultuous period in Australian public, investor and business decision-making.”
What a pity that charges can’t be laid against this outfit for publishing nothing but propaganda and mindless twaddle.
Well, I’ve never even heard of them before in over a decade of following climate non debate. Doesn’t sound like they will be missed.
John Connor was the man the left media went when they needed to confirm something or other was cuased by climate change.
Assuming The Climate Institute is the crowd Tim Flannery is/was involved with, does anyone know just what “pioneering research” they provided? They were certainly at the forefront in AGW propoganda. As a Government-funded Climate Change Commissioner, Flannery was paid $180,000 a year for three days work a week, plus he was paid by Panasonic to push the same line. Pioneering research? Yeah, right!
At least they will now “bite the dust”. Many more misleading climate organizations need to do the same.
A hopeful development for Australia? A fair amount of support for climate change was fashion, and fashions change.
here in the USA, the Left sees to climate hustle fashion collapsing, so they’re moving the alarmism back to the Russia Red scare.
How is that working out for them with Vault 7?
Maybe Mr. John Connor can find a job saving the world from the evils of Skynet.
Arnold’s out of work too. They could team up again.
@ur momisugly Thomas March 8, 2017 at 7:09 pm : Superb, Thomas! I just realised we are starting to get some joy out of this struggle, laughter, even. Brett
Hopefully in the fashion of the first movie, not the following ones.
Let us all hope this is just the start.
Indeed!
Delusional to the end. Just watch, as more and more people abandon the climate religion the remaining Faithful will continue to insist that Skeptics are the ones increasingly isolated.
I recommend the web site if you need to take a nap.
The web site really highlights who’s who in the gullibility stakes.
There are just a couple of organisations which I thought might have been smarter. Interestingly one of those had a female CEO and the other had a female ‘Chairperson” at the time of joining/endorsing this mob of tossers.
Ooooppps – we’ve just had International Women’s Day.
Stupidity and gullibility knows no difference in sex ,age or religion. 😀
The nameservers for ClimateInstitute.com are
buy.internettraffic.com
sell.internettraffic.com
A Fool and his/her money are some party…… (perhaps I paraphrased that with some “license”)
You claim you can provide “practical climate policy”……… Have you any proof ????
A practical climate policy would be; “plan for the worst, hope for the best”, there you go, and it cost a whole lot less than a million dollars……………..
Cheers, KevinK.
+100
The Climate Institute provided the impetus and argument for Australian renewables energy targets and CO2 reduction, and have some responsibility for the awful mess and high costs in power supply, not just in SA, but also coming in Victoria and Queenlsnd, if their Green Labor givernments get their way.
And Western Australia after Saturday when the State Election is on.
A lesson in sustainability.
Even as an Anthropogenic Climate Change Denier I would not want to see the TCI vanish.
Here is a Prime opportunity for Al Gore Jr., Timmy Cook, Elon Musk, Billy Gates and Warren Buffet to “MAN UP” and give a small percentage of their wast wealth to TCI.
Unfortunately Al, Timmy, Elon, Billy and Warren are not MEN, so the TCI will close. Sorry TCI.
Ha ha
One of many to come I’m sure. Elite money must now be squandered on defeating elected officials so pickings must be difficult.
TCI:
Science realists reaction to TCI whining:
(youtube)
LOL
#(:))
Climate Institute to close.
Good.
May many like organisations follow in its footsteps.
TCI just wasn’t robust enough. Let’s hope this becomes a robust, sustainable trend.
Oh dear what a calamity, two old ladies got locked in the lavatory,………………………….
Maybe they can find a way to stay open by providing goods and or services that people are willing to pay for just like most real businesses.
Sounds to me like the C levels aren’t interested in a reduced compensation package; perhaps they weren’t as emotionally invested in saving the planet as one would expect from a true believer.
Selling climate impact reduction accessories! Umbrellas, cool drinks, warm drinks, sun block, sweaters, etc.!
Wait…
so they weren’t in it to “save the planet”,
they were in it to obtain money?
I’m not feeling the altruism here.
+100
“‘…its 2050 vision of a resilient Australia prospering in a zero-carbon global economy, participating fully and fairly in international climate change solutions.’”
What does that even look like? I’m having trouble processing that.
Ahh, yes!
That most popular of buzzwords “solutions” is used to sell everything from brooms to snake oil.
(A zero-carbon global economy would appear to be a tree-less, animal-less desert; not a great place for a holiday.)
Sounds like a good place to send criminals!
“Zero-carbon global economy” is code for zero machinery.
Their wet dream is a fondly remembered though nonexistent bucolic feudal future.
A world literally of manpower & horsepower.
Except for the 1%s, of course.
A feudal society is in essence the last society that the average Green can understand.
They are so out of their depth its not even funny.
Exactly right. They’re heading for serfdom, or extinction, & they think they’re saving the planet. But more awaken each day, 🙂
Well, that’s what I was thinking. Which, given Australia’s remoteness, makes participating an anything international somewhat problematic, let alone “fully and fairly”.
From the article at the SMH…
“Australian Industry Group chief Innes Willox said the institute had been a “very strong actor” in public debate, advocating for sensible discussion and workable outcomes.
“Their voice in the debate will be missed,” he said.”
Errrr…what debate, the science was settled right? Good news for Australia
Couldn’t carbon credits make up their deficits?
I should send them a rolled up newspaper or two, maybe they can sequester them and sell someone some carbon credits..
I’d like to tell them where to sequester them, too!
Does this mean that we are past “peak” AGW?
Polls tell us it is worse than ‘past peak’. The troughers are in the trough now, and it is empty.
“…they might have learned how to conserve scarce resources.”
The prior money gushing in certainly was not scarce, and delightfully was squandered. Please don’t give them hints on how to survive, lest similar charlatans figure it out!!!
I don’t think there is any risk of them trying to learn how to live on a budget 😉
They certainly do live on a budget.
As long as that budget includes 1st class air fare and high end hotels in far off places.
Oh, and YUUUUGE salaries with perks.
That is their budget.
They’ll be grasshoppers to the end. Meanwhile, we deplorable ants keep working and paying taxes and stocking our pantries.
Flannery was appointed to head up the new Climate Commission in 2011 by the then Labor PM, Julia Gillard. This body was to soften up the public to accept a carbon tax.
In 2013, following a change of government, the Commission was dismantled. Not to be outdone, Tim and his Commission pals set up the Climate Council.
The 2015/2016 Annual Report claims that the Council achieved an estimated AUD $50M in media exposure.
The Council’s AUD $3 M funding is reportedly sourced from bipeds in the street (around 75% of funding) with the rest coming from philanthropy and grants from foundations.
http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/opinion/it-pays-to-check-out-flannerys-predictions-about-climate-change-says-andrew-bolt/news-story/9e3f81590f07b4c04309981fdb6b251d
February 12, 2011 12:00am
TIM Flannery has just been hired by the Gillard Government to scare us stupid, and I can’t think of a better man for the job. This Alarmist of the Year is worth every bit of the $180,000 salary he’ll get as part-time chairman of the Government’s new Climate Commission. His job is simple: to advise us that we really, truly have to accept, say, the new tax on carbon dioxide emissions that this Government threatens to impose.