World Economic Forum Spreads Climate Misinformation and Refuses Open Scientific Debate with CLINTEL

In August, the World Economic Forum (“WEF”) published an op-ed pushing for Artificial Intelligence to manage online harms and disinformation, which sparked social media furore. In fact, the WEF is a purveyor of climate change misinformation itself and should engage in open scientific debate with CLINTEL on the fact that there is no climate emergency, Friends of Science stated in a press release.

Friends of Science Society is an independent group of earth, atmospheric and solar scientists, engineers, and citizens based in Canada. It is celebrating its 20^th year of offering climate science insights. After a thorough review of a broad spectrum of literature on climate change, Friends of Science Society has concluded that the sun is the main driver of climate change, not carbon dioxide (CO2).

Climate Intelligence (“CLINTEL”) is an independent foundation that operates in the fields of climate change and climate policy.

“Over 1,100 scientists and scholars agree that there is no climate emergency, natural factors are most influential and we do have time to adapt. See World Climate Declaration” – CLINTEL

Media and social media commentators swiftly pounced on an opinion piece by Inbal Goldberger posted by WEF on 10 August 2022, which proposed using Artificial Intelligence (“AI”) to censor harmful online misinformation, but Friends of Science Society said that’s not the most important issue. Friends of Science Society is calling on the WEF to engage in open, civil debate on their climate misinformation the old-fashioned way – in person with CLINTEL.

WEF regularly engages in climate misinformation, said Friends of Science, noting that WEF gave Greta Thunberg a public stage and much media coverage (posted on 25 January 2019 and again on 1 January 2020) over her “I want you to panic …  Our house is on fire” commentaries.

Greta’s comments terrified millions of children and adults worldwide, but in testimony to the US Congress on 21 April 2021, Greta stated that there is “no science” behind her comment; it was just a metaphor. At no point has WEF or any of its bevy of Big Tech and media-mogul trustees stepped up to apologise for foisting fear on citizens of the world.

WEF claims to be “committed to improving the state of the world.” It is difficult to see how scaring millions of people accomplishes that goal, said Friends of Science.

On 20 January 2020, CLINTEL, the climate intelligence think tank based in The Netherlands, sent a letter to Borge Brende, President of the WEF, calling for engagement on the issue of the claimed “climate emergency,” writing:

“Despite heated political rhetoric, we urge all world leaders to accept the reality that there is no climate emergency. There is ample time to use scientific advances to continue improving our society. Meanwhile, we should go for adaptation; it works whatever the causes [of climate change] are.”

“We also invite you to organise with us a constructive, open meeting between world-class scientists on both sides of the climate debate. Such an event complies with the sound and ancient principle that all pertinent parties should be fully heard: Audiatur et altera pars.”

Friends of Science said that as of 17 August 2022, more than two and half years later, CLINTEL reports there has been no response.

Friends of Science and CLINTEL issued a joint video statement: “Declaration to WEF – Good News for Greta” in January 2020, explaining that the fear of climate emergency came from the misuse of a scenario known as RCP 8.5.

CLINTEL has a prestigious list of climate scientists, scholars, and climate commentators of more than 1,123 signatories to the World Climate Declaration. In short, the Declaration states there is no climate emergency, that natural factors are more influential than human emissions on climate, and we do have time to adapt to climatic changes, which may be warmer or cooler.

On 24 December 2021, CLINTEL also issued a letter to the President of Switzerland, concerned about the ‘host state’ status that Switzerland had conferred on the unelected, unaccountable, transnational WEF on 23 January 2015. The Paris Agreement was signed that year and it appears that WEF has adopted the mission to push the Club of Rome’s Planetary Emergency agenda.

The WEF’s 2006 Global Risks report featured oil price shock and pandemic as two serious global risks; by the 2020 report, WEF had removed both from the list of risks and replaced them with climate change.

Now the world is experiencing a global oil price shock, and an energy crisis, and is struggling to recover from a pandemic. Millions of people face energy poverty and famine due to skewed energy investment markets, much of it driven by WEF trustees like Mark Carney demonising essential energy.

To entice citizens into agreement on carbon taxes, Switzerland and Canada have instituted carbon rebate programs, but the evidence shows most Canadians do not get “free money” as The Atlantic claimed in January 2022, and that carbon taxes are a burden for no benefit.

Recent work by Dr. Roy Spencer shows there is no likelihood that warming will exceed 1.5 °C anyway by 2050. Carbon taxes are unnecessary and do nothing for the climate.

WEF’s unwillingness to engage with CLINTEL in open scientific debate on climate change suggests the WEF is not acting with “moral and intellectual integrity is at the heart of everything it does” as it claims, said Friends of Science.