Lauren Lantry, lauren.lantry@sierraclub.org
WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Today, E&E News reported that notable climate denier William Happer will leave his post as a senior director on the National Security Council at the end of the week. Happer was tasked with running a now shelved panel on the impacts of the climate crisis on national security and was instrumental in blocking written testimony about the national security dangers of climate change from a State Department researcher.
Here’s a sampling of Happer’s climate denial:
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Compared climate science to the consensus around the eugenics movement in the late 19th and early 20th century
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Said carbon emissions would be "beneficial" to the planet
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Said "the world is made of carbon and to talk about reducing your carbon footprint, that means reducing the footprint of life."
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Said that climate science is akin to the “demonization of poor Jews under Hitler.”
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Is a former chair of the Board of Directors at the Exxon-funded George C. Marshall Institute
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Was caught in a sting accepting payment of $250/hour to be funneled through his CO2 Coalition to produce a pro-fossil fuel report
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Was compensated by Peabody Energy Co. with $8,000 donation to CO2 Coalition
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Denied climate science numerous times
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Said that carbon emissions linked to climate change should be viewed as an asset rather than a pollutant
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Testified before Congress in December of 2015 that the world has too little carbon dioxide and is too cold
In response, Sierra Club Military Outdoors Campaign Manager Rob Vessels released the following statement:
"While we couldn’t be happier now that Happer is out of the White House, a climate denier still sits in the oval office at a time when tackling the climate crisis is more critical than ever. The public wants action from every level of government, but that can't begin at the White House until Happer and his fellow climate deniers no longer have power in the Administration, and that starts with the climate-denier-in-chief."
About the Sierra Club
The Sierra Club is America’s largest and most influential grassroots environmental organization, with more than 3.5 million members and supporters. In addition to protecting every person's right to get outdoors and access the healing power of nature, the Sierra Club works to promote clean energy, safeguard the health of our communities, protect wildlife, and preserve our remaining wild places through grassroots activism, public education, lobbying, and legal action. For more information, visit www.sierraclub.org.
About the Sierra Club
The Sierra Club is America’s largest and most influential grassroots environmental organization, with more than 3.5 million members and supporters. In addition to protecting every person's right to get outdoors and access the healing power of nature, the Sierra Club works to promote clean energy, safeguard the health of our communities, protect wildlife, and preserve our remaining wild places through grassroots activism, public education, lobbying, and legal action. For more information, visit www.sierraclub.org.