Oil money and science

Image via WikipediaNine of the 10 loudest climate-denying scientists tied to Exxon

Climate change deniers like to point out that they have scientists on their side, too. But an analysis of more than 900 papers supporting climate skepticism showed that about 20 percent of those papers came from the same 10 scientists, and nine of them, according to The Carbon Brief, have ties to ExxonMobil.


Eight of the scientists were directly connected to organizations that took money from Exxon, and one other only showed up on papers written with an Exxon-affiliated scientist. Only one of those 10 could claim to be independent of the oil giant. (He or she probably had other problems.)


Given Exxon's massive profits, it's not so surprising they could find nine people whose research fit nicely with the company's political agenda and underwrite their work. After all, the Catholic Church, flush with resources, also found plenty of people willing to offer scientific proof that the Earth was at the center of the universe.

Is it still science when this happens?  Are there papers still valid if all they are trying to do is save their way of life furnished by Big Oil?  Does this mean Al Gore is today's Copernicus?