Rex Murphy, that pompous darling of the CBC's flagship TV newscast, "The National" and CBC Radio's "Cross-Country Checkup," seems about to jump into the murky waters of climate denial.
The dishonestly named "Friends....." is actually dedicated to sowing doubt and discrediting peer-reviewed science surrounding global warming.
According to the painstakingly-researched book, "Climate Cover-up," "Friends of Science" had its origins in the Calgary oil patch, among geologists and oil industry PR types determined to discredit the Kyoto Protocol.
The main sponsor of the event on the 29th is the "Frontier Centre for Public Policy," a conservative "think-tank." It has long been associated with Tim Ball, arguably Canada's best-known (and most infamous) climate-denier. Ball is widely believed to have been compensated by oil industry interests for his speaking tours. The same book, "Climate Cover-up" questions Ball's credentials as a climate scientist and points to his lack of peer-reviewed research into the very topic he claims to specialize in.
For Murphy to enter the fray as another "climate crank" comes as no surprise to me, personally. As a regular CBC viewer and listener, I've noticed for a long time now how he studiously ignores this pressing issue of our time, obviously holding our very climate crisis and those who support the science, in contempt.
His foray into the shark-infested waters of climate denial, peopled by cranks, contrarians, vested interests and charlatans, will do nothing but lower the esteem many now hold for our national broadcaster.
Perhaps it's time for the CBC to sever its ties with this broadcast dinosaur, and move on!
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FOOTNOTE: Someone suggested I should give Rex the benefit of the doubt and wait to hear what he has to say on the 29th. So, I did remove this post, for awhile, until I read this. Unless the "Frontier Centre" is taking some elaborate liberties with what Rex stands for, there's little doubt, now!
UPDATE: In its wisdom and for whatever reason, the Frontier Centre has seen fit to remove the story to which I provided a link to, above.
