Manufacturing doubt

Anti-regulatory conservatives have spent a long time trying to manufacture doubt over climate change, with a fair amount of success. Many of the key players were also involved in manufacturing doubt over the role of tobacco in lung cancer, industrial emissions in acid rain, and chlorofluorocarbons in ozone depletion. They create a false impression of scientific doubt, and take advantage of people's lack of understanding of science.

A recent PBS documentary looks at the role of right wing think tanks in misleading public opinion:

Watch Climate of Doubt on PBS. See more from FRONTLINE.

An excellent book that examines the denial machine is Naomi Oreskes and Eric Conway's Merchants of Doubt.