Inside the Jubilant DC Conference Where Climate Deniers Are Now in Charge
In a striking display of shifting political winds, dozens of climate deniers convened in Washington DC last week, celebrating their newfound influence on federal policy. The event, hosted by the prominent science-denying thinktank the Heartland Institute, occurred as scientists confirmed that March was the United States' most abnormally hot month in recorded history. Attendees, mostly middle-aged men in suits, promoted misinformation and claimed the world is finally waking up to the idea that the climate crisis does not exist.
A Celebration of Vindication
The clearest sign of the crowd's rising power was the keynote speaker: Lee Zeldin, the administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), whom Donald Trump is reportedly considering for attorney general. "It is a day to celebrate vindication," Zeldin declared, criticizing previous administrations for what he called a "cabal" of elites promoting climate science. He asserted that now, "we aren't just following blind obedience to whatever the dire, doom-and-gloom prediction of the day is." This statement starkly contrasts with the scientific consensus that global warming is real, urgent, and primarily caused by burning fossil fuels.
Promoting Denial Through Wares and Words
As attendees entered the hotel basement near the White House, they were greeted by displays promoting climate denial. A banner from the CO2 Coalition, a co-sponsor, read: "Good news. There is no climate crisis." Tables overflowed with pamphlets titled "Fossil fuels are the greenest energy source" and children's books falsely downplaying sea level rise. Buttons proclaimed "Unashamed about my carbon footprint," while stress balls shaped like tiny Earths urged: "Don't stress. There is no climate crisis." The event brought together climate skeptics and outright deniers, with some falsely denying global warming's existence and others conceding it but dismissing its human cause or urgency.
The Influence of Rightwing Thinktanks
Naomi Oreskes, a Harvard University historian of science, noted that groups like the Heartland Institute have long painted themselves as underdogs, despite affiliations with powerful entities. She highlighted that the Heartland Institute has received funding from big oil companies like Shell and ExxonMobil, as well as Republican mega-donors like the Mercers. When asked about current funding, Heartland president James Taylor defended the organization, stating it is supported by individuals who believe in freedom and affordable energy. He added that it has been nearly 20 years since receiving oil company money, but he would gladly accept it again, claiming green groups have "shady" funding.
Unprecedented Political Clout
With Trump in the White House, groups such as the Heartland Institute, CO2 Coalition, and Committee for a Constructive Tomorrow (CFACT) are enjoying unprecedented influence. Oreskes remarked that 20 years ago, it would have been shocking for an EPA administrator to engage with such groups. During Trump's last term, a Heartland founder advised on withdrawing from the Paris climate accord, and the group contributed to Project 2025, a conservative guidebook for a potential second term. Trump has acted on some of their priorities, like repealing the "endangerment finding," which drew cheers at the conference. CFACT also influenced the cancellation of a California offshore wind project, and the CO2 Coalition helped form a White House committee to question climate science.
Youth and Public Perception Challenges
Despite claims of rising influence, polls show most Americans believe in climate change, including 42% of young Republicans. Taylor pointed to a 2019 survey indicating reluctance to pay higher electric bills to combat global warming, saying "Americans lose very little sleep over global warming." However, a panel titled "Bringing Youth into the Climate Realist Fold" revealed deniers' anxiety about young people's climate concerns. Panelists suggested leveraging social media influencers to create hashtag movements, but the session was disrupted by Climate Defiance activists, who argued that climate denial is not just a difference of opinion and that misinformation efforts will not go unchecked.
