6/19/2014
Recipients to be recognized at the
9th International Conference on Climate Change
for Speaking Truth to Power, Whistleblowing, and the Defense of Science
Three distinguished global warming skeptics – Patrick Moore, Alan Carlin, and Willie Soon – will receive special recognition at the 9th International Conference on Climate Change July 7–9 at Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas (ICCC9).
A total of nine awards will be handed out during plenary sessions at the conference, the largest gathering of scientists and policy experts who are skeptical of man-caused global warming. The conference is organized by The Heartland Institute and co-sponsored by 31 additional think tanks and other organizations. You can see the list of ICCC9 co-sponsors here. An updated list of award recipients can be found here.
“We’ve hosted eight successful conferences on climate change, and it’s long past time to publicly recognize some of the most important figures in the ongoing fight against climate alarmism,” said Joseph Bast, president of The Heartland Institute. “These are individuals who have put their careers at risk to speak their minds and report what the data actually show, not what computer models and politicians order them to show.”
“Such courage is worthy of praise,” Bast said.
The award winners:
Speaks Truth to Power Award: Patrick Moore, co-founder of Greenpeace
Presented by the EarthFree Institute
Patrick Moore, Ph.D. is an internationally renowned ecologist and environmentalist. Beginning his career as an activist/leader in the Greenpeace movement, he now concentrates on collaborative efforts aimed at finding environmental solutions. He speaks and lectures frequently at universities, community meetings, and conferences.
Through books such as Green Spirit – Trees Are the Answer and Confessions of a Greenpeace Dropout, Dr. Moore is known around the world as an eloquent voice for sensible environmentalism.
Climate Science Whistleblower Award: Alan Carlin, EPA economist (retired)
Presented by the Don’t Tread on My Business Foundation
Alan Carlin, Ph.D., now retired, was a career environmental economist at EPA when the Competitive Enterprise Institute broke the story of his negative report on the agency’s proposal to regulate greenhouse gases in June 2009. Dr. Carlin’s supervisor had ordered him to keep quiet about the report and stop working on the global warming issue.
EPA’s attempt to silence Dr. Carlin became a highly publicized embarrassment to the agency, especially given Administrator Lisa Jackson’s and President Obama’s announced commitment to transparency and scientific integrity. Since 2009, Dr. Carlin has been an active and influential writer and speaker on the climate change issue.
In response to the award, Dr. Carlin expressed his great appreciation and said how important it is to oppose EPA’s new proposed power plant regulations resulting from the 2009 Endangerment Finding since they would have adverse economic and environmental effects and are based on invalid science and an attempt by EPA to rewrite the Clean Air Act itself.
Courage in Defense of Science Award: Willie Soon
Presented by the George C. Marshall Institute
Willie Soon, Ph.D., an astrophysicist and geoscientist, is a leading authority on the relationship between solar phenomena and global climate. His discoveries challenge computer modelers and advocates who consistently underestimate solar influences on cloud formation, ocean currents, and wind that cause climate to change.
Dr. Soon has faced and risen above unethical and often libelous attacks on his research and his character, becoming one of the world’s most respected and influential voices for climate realism.
“Science and its practice are no longer free and willing today but instead are constantly terrorized by research funding gravy trains and group thinking,” Soon said. “This is why science needs defending and it takes courage to cleanse science from those cancerous elements and to bring her forward in its rightful place again. I am humbled and honored by this recognition.”
Visit the Web site for the conference for more information about the 9th International Conference on Climate Change, including a list of speakers and a preliminary schedule.
Register for media credentials here.
The Economist magazine in 2012 called Heartland “the world’s most prominent think tank promoting skepticism about man-made climate change.” Heartland has organized and hosted eight International Conferences on Climate Change since 2008. These events have attracted extensive international attention to the debate taking place in the scientific community over the causes and consequences of climate change.
For more information about The Heartland Institute and the 9th International Conference on Climate Change, contact Director of Communications Jim Lakely at jlakely@heartland.org or 312/377-4000.
The Heartland Institute is a 30-year-old national nonprofit organization headquartered in Chicago, Illinois. Its mission is to discover, develop, and promote free-market solutions to social and economic problems. For more information, visit our Web site or call 312/377-4000.