Presenter(s): Katlyn Har − Psychology, Political Science
Faculty Mentor(s): Mark Carey
Poster 156
Research Area: Humanities and Environmental Studies
Scientists across the globe reached a consensus that anthropogenic climate change poses a serious threat to the human race. With little scientific dispute on the climate science, governments should be able to implement actionable policy to mitigate the consequences of climate change and prevent further anthropogenic warming. However, today’s climate discussion involves a two-sided debate with the climate scientists on one side and the climate change skeptics on the other. These skeptics are not climate scientists but rather physicists or economist that attempt to discredit the existing climate science. Despite their seemingly misaligned credentials, they have gained an audience with powerful politicians and American constituency. Why has scientific research been thwarted at the expense of officials not in the field, especially in the political realm that is critical to policy change? This think tank works to politicize the issue, claiming the climate change has been propagated by leftists, in order to gain party support and thus creates a formidable obstacle to climate change policy. This paper will investigate how The Heartland Institute, a conservative think tank, contributes to climate change denialism by attacking renowned environmentalists, mystifying climatology, and glorifying the fossil fuel industry. The research will involve analyzing the Heartland Institute’s main website and the surrounding literature on think tanks and conservatism. The following will analyze the methods and tactics used in order to attack climate change. This paper outlines the misinformation disseminated by the Heartland Institute so that we can dismantle unfounded denialism and promote progressive legislation.