By Robert Bradley Jr.
Ed. Note: The previous successes of the Heartland Institute in the EU/UK have been chronicled here and here. This post provides the latest DeSmog “expose” of Heartland’s successes, which is a fundraising/donation coup for James Taylor, as he explains below.
DeSmog’s investigative hit pieces are backfiring, which should concern financial supporters of this Left Progressive group. The latest example was amplified by James Taylor, head of the Heartland Institute and architect of its climate-related programs in the U.S. and abroad.
“Last week,” his recent fundraising letter went, “one of our loudest critics accidentally told the truth.” Taylor continued:
An activist website called Desmog published an article attempting to attack The Heartland Institute. Instead, it exposed just how far our influence now reaches. The article maps Heartland’s growing network across the UK and Europe. What was meant as a smear reads more like a progress report, documenting how our ideas are shaping energy and climate debates far beyond the United States.
He continued:
Heartland has been active in Europe for several years, and last December we formally launched the Heartland UK/Europe branch, led by Lois Perry. That decision strengthened our ability to engage directly with policymakers across the UK and the continent, bringing science and economic realism into debates too often dominated by climate alarmism. This week, I am in London, meeting with key leaders and partners. We are also celebrating the one-year anniversary of Heartland UK/Europe.
The good news? “The conversations taking place here reflect a growing willingness among policymakers to question net-zero mandates and reassess the real costs of extreme climate policies.” Taylor expands:
The article highlights Heartland events featuring leaders such as Nigel Farage, who has spoken at multiple Heartland gatherings, including our 40th Anniversary Benefit Dinner in Chicago and energy forums in London.
These relationships matter. They position Heartland as a trusted advisor to reform-minded leaders who are pushing back against policies that threaten jobs, families, and energy security. Across Europe, Desmog also maps our engagement with lawmakers in Austria, Poland, and Germany.
The focus of those conversations is straightforward: Affordable energy. Food security. National sovereignty.
Results!
“That work is already producing results,” Taylor continued:
The European Union recently narrowed and delayed implementation of its Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive. This protects businesses and consumers from sweeping regulations that would have driven up costs and restricted freedom, aligning directly with an open letter that Heartland signed alongside 31 allied organizations.
Taylor ended with a (DeSmog-helped) fundraising request:
This is no longer a domestic fight. It is a global movement. And Heartland is helping lead it.
If you are able to continue or deepen your support, you are helping ensure Heartland remains on offense, both here and abroad. Your partnership allows us to move quickly when opportunities arise and to respond decisively when critics attempt to silence us…. Thank you for standing with Heartland and for your commitment to freedom.
Previous Backfires
DeSmog’s list of “climate deniers” has become so large that it is taking on the appearance of a growing, majority movement. More many ‘skeptics’ want to be included. Here are some posts on this theme:
- DeSmog “Climate Disinformation” Database: Nominate Yourself! August 1, 2024
- DeSmog’s 1,000: A Badge of Honor January 10, 2023
- Bravo EU/UK Climate Realism Groups (DesmogUK pays its respects) September 21, 2020
And then there are the quotations where the “exposé” makes the target look rationale, even heroic. The “guilty as charged” list follows:
- Chris Wright: Guilty as Charged February 4, 2025
- DeSmog on IEA-UK: Guilty as Charged! April 23, 2024
- Steven Koonin: Guilty as Charged (DeSmog’s Hall of Fame) December 7, 2022
- DeSmog on Vaclav Smil (this deep thinker is largely correct) April 28, 2022
- Robert Bryce: Guilty as Charged (DeSmog hit piece boomerangs) April 28, 2020
- Isaac Orr: Guilty as Charged (Desmog’s ‘Climate Denier Spotlight’ introduces new talent) October 21, 2019
- Derrick Hollie: Guilty as Charged (DeSmogBlog air ball) February 13, 2019
- John Christy: Guilty as Charged February 5, 2019
I have had an exchange of note re DeSmog Blog:
- Exchange with a Climate Alarmist at Desmog Blog (unmasking emotion, anger on the other side) November 20, 2019
And I welcomed DeSmog’s post on me:
Keep them coming, DeSmog….
DeSmog beautifully illustrates the classic lack of self awareness of science denying climate alarmists. The vast majority of climate alarmists don’t even realise that they are denying the science. They simply don’t know enough science to comprehend their lack of knowledge. I am continually amazed when I talk to climate alarmists how little they know about anything.
If they have one iota of self awareness, it was the problem with their original name: Desmogblog. The problem was that when folks on our side made references to blog sites such as WUWT or Steve McIntyre’s ClimateAudit or Tony Heller’s RealClimateScience, we’d be hit with the rebuttal point that there is no sound info to be found within blogs. Somewhere along the line, somebody at Desmogblog heard that from zealots on their side and said, “oh, wait …..”
(I covered a bit more of that problem in my June 2024 WUWT comment here)
The lack of self awareness is way worse.
One can not expect from an activist to tell what is science or not,
but in this case we have a group whose cause( climate alarmism) has an absolute reach on a global level throughout politics, science, institutions ,MSM,Big Tech, WEF or whatever.
Except for Twitter(whose owner is an AGW believer) and Trump they have a 24/7 monopol and all weather anomalies are being exploited in their favor,
yet they have the nerve to complain about something that has less than 1% of their influence.
DeSmog by name, smogged up by nature.
UK/‘Utterly Shameless’: Tory Energy Chief Backs ‘Nonsense’ Anti-Net Zero Reports
In reality, the CCC has stated that achieving net zero will require 0.2 percent of GDP per year from 2025 to 2050, with the majority of this investment coming from the private sector “as long as the right incentives are in place.” – DSB
Yes… as long as the right incentives are in place.”
The taxpayer.
“.2% of GDP”…..that’s ridiculous….most people spend more than 30% of their income to keep a roof over their head, and clothes on their backs…..the extra that would have to be spent to miraculously produce as much fuel as you use,CO2 neutral, would be way more than .5% of GDP…..something households already CAN’T DO at 30% of their expenses…..
As I understand it the claim made by the CCS is ~100 billion quid up to 2050. But we know it will definitely be in the trillions. One of their key assumptions appears to be:
the majority of this investment coming from the private sector
Now, that is just wishful thinking on their part.
Oh ye of little faith! The CCC confidently say
“For the typical household bills will be lower in 2050 than in 2025 for heating and driving with minimal changes to food costs”
That’s more than wishful thinking!
Not to mention that it is NOT POSSIBLE to produce “CO2 neutral” electricity, much less transport and heating, with their proposed non-solutions.
I keep saying this: Skeptics are growing in numbers and not looking back. How many skeptics have you heard become alarmists?
It’s about the same number as that of people who regret not getting the vaccine.
Should be close to zero.
Hard to regret when you’re dead.
And who would know better than you? Your existence does appear to be somewhat miserable.
He knows better than anyone else, as he is definitely braindead.
No official lie he didn’t believe in,
no destruction or perversion sold as progressivism he didn’t bought into
no vaccine he ever missed.
10 out of 10 Borg
Belarus, Namibia
No vaccines, No Lockdowns.
Number of Covid Victims 10-15K.
Which dead do you mean exactly?
Now how many not vaccinated have sufferred from increased heart problems, turbo cancer, lower fertility, higher dementia rates etc?
Not taking an experimental drug that was released a decade before time does not come with adverse effects.
We all die .. you only get to choose how you live.
Even that propaganda organization’s name is pure deception, attempting to conflate pollution with atmospheric CO2.
Why do you think it is “carbon emissions” rather than CO2 or “decarbonize”?
Particulate carbon is a major component of smog (smoke + fog).
They keep trying to conflate CO2 with a serious air pollutant, which, by the way, has been mostly eliminated over the past nearly 5 decades.
Soot is amorphous carbon. Wild fires produce soot as do some older ic and diesel engines.
O/T – what’s the current rating for how much carbon dioxide causes global warming – if at all?
I went to Science Daily and it is still full of doom laden climate articles:
https://www.sciencedaily.com/news/earth_climate/global_warming/
ECS is ~1C. According to Paul Burgess
https://youtu.be/w5HVtS_LbO8?si=a82XSzUINIQksc1n
Harold The Organic Chemist Says:
“ECS Is Zero”.
Shown in the chart (See below) is a plot of the average seasonal temperatures and the average annual temperatures at the Furnace Creek weather station in Death Valley from 1922 to 2001. In 1922, the concentration of CO2 was ca. 304 ppmv (0.60 g CO2/cu. m. of air) and by 2001 it had increased to 371 ppmv (0.73 g CO2/cu. m.), but there was corresponding increase in air temperature at this remote desert.
The reason there was no increase in air temperature in this arid desert is that there is just too little CO2 in the air to absorb enough out-going long wavelength IR light to cause warming of the air. In 2001 Tavg was
25.1° C
For a Death Valley temperature update I went to:
htttps://www.extremeweatherwatch.com/cities/death-valley/average-temperature-by-year. The Tmax and Tmin data from 1962 to 2025 is displayed in a table. The computed Tavg was 26.1° C., which is within the range of natural variation of temperature at this site. Note the annual variations in the plots of the temperatures.
At the Mauna Loa Obs. in Hawaii the concentration of CO2 is currently 427 ppmv. One cubic meter of this air at STP has a mass 1,290 g and
contain a mere 0.84 g of CO2, a 15% increase since 2001. There is additional evidence that CO2 has no effect on weather and climate:
winter! Massive winter storms are battering the northeast of We need to inform Mad Ed that because of winter there can never be net zero CO2 emissions.
PS: The chart was taken from the late John L. Daly website:
“Still Waiting For Greenhouse” available at http://www.john-daly.com. From the home page, page down to the end and click on “Station Temperature Data”. On the “World Map”, click on “NA” then page down to:
“U.S.A.-Pacific. Finally. scroll down and click on: “Death Valley”.
John Daly found over 200 weather stations that showed no warming up to 2002.
NB: If you click on or near the chart, it will expand and become clear. Click on the “X” in the circle or near the chart to return to Comments.
Typo alert: htttps:// should be https:// The correct URL is:
https://www.extremeweatherwatch.com/cities/death-valley/average-temperature-by-year.
“John Daly found over 200 weather stations that showed no warming up to 2002.”
And I’m not surprised Harold, as the radiative forcing from added GHGs did not outstrip the -ve anthro forcing of aerosols, and several volcanic eruptions until after that date …
(Credit Roy Spencer)
Once the total +ve forcings passed the total -ve ones then this is what the annual ave temp at Death Valley did …..
“The mean average temperature in Death Valley, CA every year since 1952. (Credit: Death Valley National Park)”
DeSmog is partners to and are funded by SMF (Sustainable Markets Foundations)
Sustainable Markets Foundation (SMF) – InfluenceWatch
SMF has received funding from several environmentalist foundations including the MacArthur Foundation, Rockefeller Family Fund, Tides Foundation, and TomKat Charitable Trust.
ie slimy green money !!
The organization serves as a fiscal sponsor, providing grants as well as administrative support to other non-profits like 350.org, Frack Action, DeSmog.
According to its 2023 tax returns, SMF reported a revenue of $39,210,071, expenses at $30,565,908, and total assets at $44,167,374.
Not bad for a “non-profit”
The climate trough sure is DEEP and supports many, many little piggies.
“In DeSmog’s Climate Disinformation Database, you can browse our extensive research on the individuals and organizations that have helped to delay and distract the public and our elected leaders from taking needed action to reduce greenhouse gas pollution and fight global warming.”
What is the reasonable purpose of maintaining a database of philosophical/political enemies? I don’t see any positive direction that process could lead.
I hope they have done similar research on those who have helped delay and distract other peoples leaders, whether elected or not.
Like, starting with an investigation of the CCP and its relationships with Xi. We know Xi is deeply concerned about global warming and anxious to stop it, but he keeps getting distracted, I think maybe by the CCP, can’t think who else it could be. So DeSmog could do the planet a lot of service if it documented what the CCP is doing to distract him and we could take action to stop them.
And one hopes they are covering the Indian organizations which are distracting the Indian leadership from taking needed action to reduce greenhouse gas pollution and fight global warming.
And while they are at it, maybe report on those who are distracting President Putin from these essential climate fixing tasks which we know he is so eager to get to as soon as he can find the time….
Very nice Robert. I have said it before this mess will not be cleaned up by politicians, academics, experts or professionals. It will be cleaned up by brave regular people like WUWT, Heartland and other organizations forcing government to stop lying and cheating. We have a government problem not a climate or science problem. Kudos to us.
One thing I have to say for DeSmog ( see the very bottom of https://cosy.com/#PlanetaryPhysics ) is that they gave me a rather factual description . And I’ve seen others’ vitas rather accurately presented .
Some echo of honesty seems to survive there .