Operating on faith

Posted 8/21/12

During the 20 years I lived in Manhattan, I cherished what I came to call the Christmas truce. Whether it was the excessive holiday decorations, the ubiquitous Christmas carols or simple nostalgia, …

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Operating on faith

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During the 20 years I lived in Manhattan, I cherished what I came to call the Christmas truce. Whether it was the excessive holiday decorations, the ubiquitous Christmas carols or simple nostalgia, the bustle of the holidays seemed to bring a softening of the protective urban shell, as if the season allowed us be the nice, trusting people we always knew we were. In my nearly 20 years living in Sullivan County, I have experienced a similar sensation: each year I am struck by how profoundly dark and enveloping the winter night is, and how welcoming the sight of stores and houses decked out with Christmas lights. Driving home after dark, I’ve come to love those hopeful beacons of festivity that satisfy our shared craving for light during the longest nights of the year.

This year I’m actively searching for that spirit of civility, as the season seems to be marred by violence at every turn. Not only horrific terrorism in Paris, but murderous attacks at Planned Parenthood clinics and thuggery and fear mongering at political campaign events. In the midst of such irrationality, I cling to the notion that we still really crave clarity, trust and fairness, and that those values can triumph in the public sphere as they do among my family, friends and colleagues.

I take heart from the news that New York State Attorney General Eric Schneiderman has launched an investigation of ExxonMobil for fraud for funding climate change denial groups that have knowingly promoted fake science intended to “debunk” climate change and suppress responsible action. This coincides with an investigative report by the Union of Concerned Scientists that shows that ExxonMobil and other top carbon polluters have spent many millions over the past three decades funding think tanks and business associations that have knowingly spread disinformation as a “contrarian” viewpoint, worked to discredit climate scientists and funded politicians willing to echo the denier rhetoric. Exxon did this even as their internal research going back to 1981 confirmed that fossil fuels are exacerbating climate change and as they secretly incorporated climate change projections into their business plans. Another groundbreaking study by Justin Farrell, a professor at the Yale University School of Forestry & Environmental Studies, uses innovative computational data collection to analyze and trace the prevalence of corporate funding from a handful of companies that have profited by polarizing the climate debate.

These deceptions have delayed climate action for decades and made a mockery of one of the central tenets of science—that we must act in good faith and be worthy of trust. Science can only operate when scientists can assume that they are telling each other the truth as they see it. That doesn’t mean that mistakes can’t be made. But mistakes must be acknowledged immediately, and knowing deception cannot be tolerated. That’s called accountability, and it’s a pretty good standard for all of our dealings. By holding the fossil fuel industries accountable, perhaps Mr. Schneiderman will restore some of our battered faith.

Union of Concerned Scientists investigative report: www.ucsusa.org/sites/default/files/attach/2015/07/The-Climate-Deception-Dossiers.pdf

Justin Farrell study: www.pnas.org/content/early/2015/11/18/1509433112.abstract

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