The Center for the Study of Carbon Dioxide and Global Change is a

501(c)(3) A 501(c)(3) organization is a United States corporation, trust, unincorporated association or other type of organization exempt from federal income tax under section 501(c)(3) of Title 26 of the United States Code. It is one of the 29 types of 50 ...

non-profit organization A nonprofit organization (NPO) or non-profit organisation, also known as a non-business entity, not-for-profit organization, or nonprofit institution, is a legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public or social benefit, in co ...

based in

Tempe, Arizona , settlement_type = City , named_for = Vale of Tempe , image_skyline = Tempeskyline3.jpg , imagesize = 260px , image_caption = Tempe skyline as se ...

. It is seen as a

front group A front organization is any entity set up by and controlled by another organization, such as intelligence agencies, organized crime groups, terrorist organizations, secret societies, banned organizations, religious or political groups, advocacy gr ...

for the

fossil fuel A fossil fuel is a hydrocarbon-containing material formed naturally in the Earth's crust from the remains of dead plants and animals that is extracted and burned as a fuel. The main fossil fuels are coal, oil, and natural gas. Fossil fuels m ...

industry, and as promoting

climate change denial Climate change denial, or global warming denial, is denial, dismissal, or doubt that contradicts the scientific consensus on climate change, including the extent to which it is caused by humans, its effects on nature and human society, or th ...

. The Center produces a weekly online science newsletter called ''CO₂Science''. The Center was founded and is run by

Craig D. Idso Craig D. Idso is the founder, president and current chairman of the board of the Center for the Study of Carbon Dioxide and Global Change, a group which receives funding from ExxonMobil and Peabody Energy and which promotes climate change denial. ...

, along with Sherwood B. Idso, his father, and

Keith E. Idso Keith E. Idso is a botanist and vice president of the Center for the Study of Carbon Dioxide and Global Change. He is the brother of Craig D. Idso and son of Sherwood B. Idso. He received his B.S. in Agriculture with a major in Plant Sciences from ...

, his brother. They came from backgrounds in

agriculture Agriculture or farming is the practice of cultivating plants and livestock. Agriculture was the key development in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that enabled people to ...

and climate. According to the Idsos, they became involved in the global warming controversy through their study of earth's temperature sensitivity to radiative perturbations and plant responses to elevated CO₂ levels and

carbon sequestration Carbon sequestration is the process of storing carbon in a carbon pool. Carbon dioxide () is naturally captured from the atmosphere through biological, chemical, and physical processes. These changes can be accelerated through changes in land ...

. The Center sharply disputes the

scientific consensus on climate change There is a strong scientific consensus that the Earth is warming and that this warming is mainly caused by human activities. This consensus is supported by various studies of scientists' opinions and by position statements of scientific org ...

shown in IPCC assessment reports, and believes that global warming will be beneficial to mankind.

Funding

According to IRS records, the

ExxonMobil ExxonMobil Corporation (commonly shortened to Exxon) is an American multinational oil and gas corporation headquartered in Irving, Texas. It is the largest direct descendant of John D. Rockefeller's Standard Oil, and was formed on November 30, ...

Foundation provided a grant of $15,000 to the center in 2000. Another report states that ExxonMobil has funded an additional $55,000 to the center. ExxonMobil stated it funded, "organizations which research significant policy issues and promote informed discussion on issues of direct relevance to the company. ..These organizations do not speak on our behalf, nor do we control their views and messages." The center was also funded by Peabody Energy, America’s biggest coalmining company.

Reception

A December 2009 article in ''

Mother Jones Mary G. Harris Jones (1837 (baptized) – November 30, 1930), known as Mother Jones from 1897 onwards, was an Irish-born American schoolteacher and dressmaker who became a prominent union organizer, community organizer, and activist. She h ...

'' magazine said the Center was a promoter of climate disinformation, from a family prominent in promoting

References

External links

Center for the Study of Carbon Dioxide and Global ChangeNongovernmental International Panel on Climate Change
*{{ProPublicaNonprofitExplorer, 860902777 Non-profit organizations based in Arizona Climate change denial Climate change organizations Organizations based in Tempe, Arizona Organizations established in 1998 Organizations of environmentalism skeptics and critics Political advocacy groups in the United States 501(c)(3) organizations