A Skeptic Criticizes the Theory of Climate Change (1997)

By the end of the 20th century, a growing number of climate scientists had concluded that the greenhouse effect had indeed increased global temperatures and would continue to do so. However, many Americans rejected these conclusions, especially representatives of major fossil fuel companies. In this interview on The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer, aired during the 1997 Kyoto climate conference, Frederick Palmer (chief executive officer of the Western Fuels Association) criticizes carbon emissions reduction efforts. He provides various arguments in this clip: that the science behind anthropogenic climate change is still inconclusive; that carbon dioxide is a benign substance; that any mild warming would be beneficial rather than harmful; and most of all, that fossil fuels were a “positive good” that facilitated economic prosperity, and any steps taken to mitigate suspected climate change would bring significant economic harm. In Palmer’s words, fossil fuel opponents “are trying to prevent a speculative bad fifty or a hundred years from now by eliminating…a positive good.”

The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer | NewsHour Productions (Television station : Washington, D.C..) | December 5, 1997 This video clip and associated transcript appear from 30:25 - 35:45 in the full record.