UPDATE:
I realize this core point is also the argument of Oreskes & Conway, Merchants of Doubt. I didn't mean to slight them; it's just that I'd more recently read McCright & Dunlap and that was at the front of my mind. I'll be adding an update to the DeSmogBlog post to reflect this.
My latest post is now up at DeSmogBlog--exploring the arguments of sociologists Aaron McCright and Riley Dunlap, who suggest that climate denial isn't simply being driven by a quest to improve the bottom line in the fossil fuel industry. Rather, it's about free market and libertarian zeal. To quote from the piece:
Dunlap and McCright note that “conservative think tanks increased their opposition to climate science and the IPCC, even as major portions of industry were reducing theirs.” And I don’t think there’s any denying it: Corporate views on climate change have grown considerably more diverse, with many leading companies, like General Electric, now calling for cutting greenhouse gas emissions. Just look at what happened yesterday: The CEO of Royal Dutch Shell called for climate action because the “clock is ticking.” Meanwhile, right wing resistance has gotten increasingly shrill, especially after “ClimateGate,” and attacks on climate scientists have only grown more vicious.
You can read the full post here. I'm inclined to agree with McCright and Dunlap that ideology, more than good business sense, is driving climate denial at this point.
