I don’t know whether to laugh at or cry over some of the things I see happen in the energy and environmental arenas. A perfect case in point involves the results of the detective work done by Kevin Grandia at desmogblog.com investigating the now-infamous Heartland Institute list of 500 “prominent scientists” who dispute global warming. (Hint: Many of them most definitely don’t agree with HI’s characterization of their views.)

Please take a minute to read the post on DeSmogBlog.com, 500 Scientists with Documented Doubts - about the Heartland Institute?.

A particularly relevant point about this incident was made on ecogeek.org:

The Heartland Institute has been publicizing their list for years, and not a single journalist took the time to check the names on the list. The Heartland Institute has now distanced itself from the list, and withdrawn its claim that they are supported by 500 prominent global warming skeptic scientists. But they have yet to apologize. Kevin deserves a great big “thank you” from the world. Check out DeSmogBlog and, if you think he’s as awesome as I do, you might even consider donating to help him keep DeSmogBLog alive.

So, what do we learn from this?

• At least some deniers will resort to tactics that are as dirty as coal. Given the financial incentives involved, this should surprise no one, even though it’s a disgusting and disappointing revelation.
• We must be diligent in tracking down claims, no matter who is making them and on which side of any argument. The truth is always our best friend, whether or not it agrees with our desires and preconceived notions.
• I can’t stress this enough: We must constantly fight the efforts to politicize energy and environmental topics and instead rely as much as possible on scientists and other experts. And even those people should be held to a very high standard.