The Heartland Institute wants to scare you about people who want to scare you. HI is a 'think tank' funded by tobacco and fossil fuel companies and they're quite frightened by global warming 'alarmists'. I'm not sure why we continue to call these groups 'think tanks' but I do think they are scary in their own right.

From prwatch.org:

Corporations wanting help in advancing their agendas often turn to think tanks. In addition to providing the appearance of independent support for corporate policies, think tanks combine a scholarly image with expertise at how to play the media and policymakers alike.

To give just one example, the Chicago-based Heartland Institute is holding a conference in New York this week, featuring a persistent if increasingly-isolated group of global warming skeptics. Heartland has a long history of being well-funded by the tobacco industry and fossil fuel companies. Not that Heartland discloses which corporations and foundations fund its operations; it, like many think tanks, prefers secrecy. Heartland president James L. Bast recently claimed that 'by not disclosing our donors, we keep the focus on the issue.' His benefactors presumably appreciate Bast's discretion, but it should give others pause.

Many global warming skeptics directly or indirectly receive funding from the oil, coal or other industries with a stake in the dangerous status quo. Of course, revelations of such funding torpedo the skeptics' credibility. Perhaps that's why Heartland, in describing its skeptics conference, insists that "no corporate sponsorships or dollars earmarked for the event were solicited or accepted." The claim may sound reassuring, but we should take it with a grain of salt, especially since Heartland is not disclosing which foundations are funding the conference.

Here's a promotional video for their 2009 conference.

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