Natural Resources Stewardship Project
The Natural Resources Stewardship Project (NRSP) is a Canadian non-profit group, including a number of leading climate change sceptics, which describes itself as a group that "will promote responsible environmental stewardship through:
- broad-based media, government and public relations;
- consumer education and advocacy;
- private initiative and the promotion of private property rights;
- market-based approaches; and
- sensible and efficient legislative and regulatory frameworks, particularly at the federal level." [1]
NRSP has scientific advisors in Canada, the United States, Australia, New Zealand, Holland, Germany, England and Sweden. [2]
Contents
NRSP's Genealogy
NRSP has no direct connection with the Calgary-based group of climate change sceptics the "Friends of Science" [3] (FOS). Dr. Tim Ball, now the Chairman of the NRSP, resigned his position with FOS in early October, although this change has yet to be refected on the FOS Web site - check with FOS for confirmation of desired. FOS and NRSP differ considerably in their purpose and goals in that NRSP has a far more general focus, climate change science being only its first campaign. Future campaigns will focus on air, land and water polution as well as water policy in general. NRSP is viewed by some as a reincarnation of the FOS but in fact is entirely independent.
The NRSP project is led by Executive Director, Tom Harris, who, in November 2002, while in the employ of the PR firm APCO Worldwide, organized a press conference titled "International Climate Experts Speak Out Against Climate Change Myths." [4]. The press conference was sponsored by ten entities which were announced to reporters at the time and included two Toronto-based Order of Canada recipients, Dr. Gerald Hatch and Dr. Jerry Heffernan, as well as industrial interests in the lime and energy sectors, Talisman Energy and Imperial Oil being among the latter. As can be confirmed by contacting FOS, this press conference had no connection with "Friends of Science," which was founded considerably earlier. However, three of the eight scientists that appeared at the press conference (see list below) were, either now or in the past linked to the FOS.
NRSP describes its "first priority project" as being "Understanding Climate Change: A proactive grassroots campaign to counter the Kyoto Protocol and other greenhouse gas reduction schemes while promoting sensible climate change policy." [5]
Personnel
- Tom Harris, Executive Director, NRSP, is the former Ottawa Director of a public affairs and public policy consulting firm High Park Group (HPG). Harris has written several articles that dispute the science backing the Kyoto Protocol and other schemes to "stop climate change" through the reduction of human emissions of carbon dioxide. Prior to HPG, Harris was employed by APCO Worldwide and organized a press conference [6] in Ottawa that included Professor Tim Patterson [7], Professor Fred Michel [8], Dr. Tim Ball [9], Dr. Fred Singer [10], Professor Patrick Michaels [11], Dr. Madhav Khandekar [12], Professor Howard Hayden [13], and Professor J.T. Rogers. [14]
- Dr. Tim Ball, Chairman, has resigned from the Science Advisory Board of FOS to head up NRSP. His credentials as a climatologist were challenged in a April 23, 2006, letter to the editor of the Calgary Herald by a Professor at the University of Lethbridge, Dr. Dan Johnson. Ball has filed a statement of claim against Dr. Johnson, the University of Lethbridge and the Calgary Herald.
- Dr. Sallie Baliunas [15]sits on the NRSP "Scientific Advisory Committee." Baliunas sat on the board of advisors for the Greening Earth Society, a now-defunct organiaztion that argued that increased CO2 emissions and the subsequent warming of the earth would green the earth and make our lives better. The Greening Earth Society was an industry front group funded and controlled by the Western Fuels Association. Baliunas is also listed as an "expert" with the George C. Marshall Institute [16], a think tank that has recieved millions from ExxonMobil and oil industry-linked foundations.
Funding
Financial support comes from Canadians from all walks of life and from all parts of Canada (no funding has yet been solicited from outside of Canada). With the exception of "NRSP Public Patrons", Dr. Hatch and Dr. Heffernan (named above in conjunction with their support of the 2002 news conference), all contributions to NRSP are kept confidential to protect the privacy of supporters. This is necessary given the nature of the issues we address and the fact that most people do not want to be harrassed by lobbyists for support of our activities.
Contact Details
P.O. Box 23013
Ottawa, Ontario K2A 4E2
Phone: 613-234-4487
Fax: 613-234-3325
Web: http://www.nrsp.com/default.html
External Links
- National Resources Stewardship Project in the Wikipedia.
- Archived links on Tim Ball posted by DeSmogBlog.com.
"Climate-change 'skeptics' hopeful Harper accepts their view," CanWest News Service (The Vancouver Sun), October 16, 2006.
- Dr. Tim Ball and Tom Harris, "Environment Commissioner should stick to auditing. Gelinas' environmental evangelism based on a misunderstanding of her role and the fundamentals of climate science," Canada Free Press, October 21, 2006.
- Richard Littlemore, "NRSP Makes it on the Sourcewatch List," DeSmogBlog.com, November 4, 2006.
- Richard Littlemore, "NRSP 'Expert' a Half-Hearted Denier," DeSmogBlog.com, November 4, 2006.
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