Former Royal Society Spokesperson weighs in on Ofcom's global warming swindle decision

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A press release has been issued by the original complainants to Ofcom, the UKโ€˜s communications regulatory office, over the Channel 4 documentary, โ€œThe Great Global Warming Swindle.โ€

In the release (full version attached below), Bob Ward, former spokesperson for the prestigious UK Royal Society, who submitted one of the 265 complaints received by Ofcom and who reviewed parts of the test complaint, said:

โ€œThe commissioning and broadcasting of this programme was clearly a calamitous mistake and revealed serious management failures at Channel 4. It is very disappointing that Ofcom has failed to fully uphold the public interest, and the ruling raises very serious doubts about the ability of the broadcasting regulator to recognise the harm caused by misrepresentations of the scientific evidence on climate change. Recent opinion polls show that a majority of the public mistakenly believe that many scientists disagree that greenhouse gas emissionsโ€ [my emphasis]

Ward went on to say that:

โ€œMartin Durkin, who produced the programme for Channel 4, has so far been unapologetic about the misrepresentation of facts and the unfair treatment of scientists. He should also withdraw the DVD version from sale, because it contains many of the errors that appeared in the broadcast programme, and he should recall those copies that have already been sold. I hope that the trading standards authorities now investigate sales of the DVD.โ€

For more on the history of the โ€œGreat Global Warming Swindleโ€ and Channel 4 controversy check out some of DeSmogโ€™s previous entries:

A Global Warming Swindle play-by-play

Aussie media lambasting Durkinโ€™s Swindle film

Swindle Update: ABC is now slamming the Swindle

Vancouver Sun Promotes Climate Swindle

Newspaper prescribes โ€œthe Swindleโ€ for schoolchildren

โ€œThe Great Global Warming Swindleโ€

Monbiot on the Channel 4 Swindle


For a more in-depth look, check out DeSmogโ€™s comprehensive research database on the climate denial industry.

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Kevin is a contributor and strategic adviser to DeSmog. He runs the digital marketing agency Spake Media House. Named a โ€œGreen Heroโ€ by Rolling Stone Magazine and one of the โ€œTop 50 Tweetersโ€ on climate change and environment issues, Kevin has appeared in major news media outlets around the world for his work on digital campaigning. Kevin has been involved in the public policy arena in both the United States and Canada for more than a decade. For five years he was the managing editor of DeSmogBlog.com. In this role, Kevinโ€™s research into the โ€œclimate denial industryโ€ and the right-wing think tank networks was featured in news media articles around the world. He is most well known for his ground-breaking research into David and Charles Kochโ€™s massive financial investments in the Republican and tea party networks. Kevin is the first person to be designated a โ€œCertified Expertโ€ on the political and community organizing platform NationBuilder. Prior to DeSmog, Kevin worked in various political and government roles. He was Senior Advisor to the Minister of State for Multiculturalism and a Special Assistant to the Minister of State for Asia Pacific, Foreign Affairs for the Government of Canada. Kevin also worked in various roles in the British Columbia provincial government in the Office of the Premier and the Ministry of Health. In 2008 Kevin co-founded a groundbreaking new online election tool called Vote for Environment which was later nominated for a World Summit Award in recognition of the worldโ€™s best e-Content and innovative ICT applications. Kevin moved to Washington, DC in 2010 where he worked for two years as the Director of Online Strategy for Greenpeace USA and has since returned to his hometown of Vancouver, Canada.

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