90% of anti-enviro books have rightwing think tank roots

If the author is skeptical of mainstream science, is there a conservative think tank behind them?

A new study by a team of political scientists and sociologists at the journal Environmental Politics concludes that 9 out of 10 books published since 1972 that have disputed the seriousness of environmental problems and mainstream science can be linked to a conservative think tank (CTT). Following on earlier work by co-author Riley Dunlap and colleagues, the study examines the ability of conservative think tanks to use the media and other communication strategies to successfully challenge mainstream expert agreement on environmental problems.

In the study, the authors first offer a conceptualization of environmental skepticism as an ideology and movement:

In summary, environmental scepticism consists of four key themes. First, environmental scepticism is defined by its denial of the seriousness of environmental problems and dismissal of scientific evidence documenting these problems. This primary theme sets environmental scepticism apart from earlier environmental opposition movements like the US 'wise use movement' and 'sage brush rebellion' (Switzer 1997). Second, environmental scepticism draws upon the first theme to question the importance of environmentally protective policies. Third, environmental scepticism endorses an anti-regulatory/anti-corporate liability position that flows from the first two claims. Lastly, environmental sceptics often cast environmental protection as threatening Western progress.

Using this definition as a guide, they then search publishing databases to identify books between 1972 and 2005 that fall into this ideological category, observing indicators of author affiliation, sponsorship, and/or publication by conservative think tanks. As they report:

...of the 141 books which promote environmental scepticism, 130 (92.2 per cent) have a clear link to one or more CTTs -either via author affiliation (62 books) or because the book was published by a CTT (five books) or both (63 books). Furthermore, most of the remaining 11 books clearly reflect a conservative ideology, but are not connected to a CTT and are not coded as such here. Indeed, it appears that only one of the 141 books was written by a current self-professed liberal - Greg Easterbrook (1995).

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http://scienceblogs.com/framing-science/2008/06/ninety_percent_of_enviro_skept.php

Still, I need to bookmark and forward to some friends.

The text of the memo is at the link. For those of you unfamiliar with it, it makes some of the most disturbing cultural reading published in modern history. This is the root of today's Amerika.

...corporations which depend upon profits, and the enterprise system to survive."

Once Powell got the "free" press to understand that, the current dark night was inevitable...

from the U.S.Chamber of commerce.

genesis of the right wing propaganda campaign to subvert democracy. Extremely good book, if you can stand to read it!

recommended.

What really is a surprise is how successful the CTTs have been in propagating their agenda to politicians, the media, and the public. Imagine if American Communists had been that successful back in the 1940s and '50s...

The Rearguard of Modernity: Environmental Skepticism as a Struggle of Citizenship

I highly recommend it also.

I've ordered a copy of the OP paper; looking forward to reading it.