Climate Central
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Climate Central is a science-aligned, "reliable producer of analysis and reporting on climate science"[1], "dedicated to helping mainstream Americans understand how climate change connects to them, and arming our audiences with the knowledge they need to make informed decisions about their future...by not only covering climate science and solutions on a local level, but also framing the issues in a larger context."[2].
Climate Central does not attempt to downplay the reality or importance of climate change.
Its tag line is "sound science & vibrant media".
Contents
Origin
"...The idea...developed from some large meetings of “leading scientists, policymakers, journalists, and leaders from business, religion and civil society” who “identified a critical need for a central authoritative source for climate change information."[1]
Criticism
Some Climate Central website content has been criticized for an initial lack of consistency with the group's "authoritative", "sound science" standards.[1]
Funding
As of April 2011, Climate Central listed its funders[3] as:
- Army Corps of Engineers
- Flora Family Foundation
- Foundation for Environmental Research
- George Mason University
- Google.org
- Jay Harris
- NASA Goddard Space Flight Center
- NASA Headquarters
- NASA Langley
- Northrup Grumman
- Peter T Paul Foundation
- Rockefeller Brothers Fund
- Rockefeller Family Fund
- Saul D Levy Foundation
- The David & Lucille Packard Foundation
- The Dixon Family Fund
- The Robert & Ellen Gutenstein Foundation
- The Schmidt Family Foundation
- The Winslow Foundation
- Turner Foundation, Inc.
- University of Tennessee
Independence
In response to queries about the nature of George Mason University's funding and potential influence on Climate Central, Interim Executive Director Ben Strauss said GMU was "not a "funder" of Climate Central in the typical sense of that word...technically we received checks from them, as a subcontractor [for an NSF-funded project, a common practice]...no one from GMU sits on our Board; nor has anyone from GMU been given a say in who sits on the Board. Furthermore, no one from GMU or any other outside institution plays a role in editorial decision making, which is determined by our experienced editorial team and scientific staff."[4]
Articles and resources
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Joe Romm (2011-04-08). Climate Central shifts momentum with new blog on adaptation. Climate Progress. Retrieved on 2011-04-12.
- ↑ About. Climate Central. Retrieved on 2011-04-12.
- ↑ Funding. Climate Central. Retrieved on 2011-04-12.
- ↑ Email from Andrew Freedman (who's also a blogger[1]) relaying Strauss's comments, 2011-04-11: "George Mason University is not a "funder" of Climate Central in the typical sense of that word. We list GMU as a funder because technically we received checks from them, as a subcontractor, but the grants - for a total of $85,000 - originated with the National Science Foundation. This type of arrangement, whereby the NSF cuts a check to one institution but there are several partners involved, is quite common. In this case, we partnered with Ed Maibach and his group at the Center for Climate Change Communication on a project, for which we shared that NSF funding. So the NSF was the original funding source. As you can see from our Board listing and bios on our website, no one from GMU sits on our Board; nor has anyone from GMU been given a say in who sits on the Board. Furthermore, no one from GMU or any other outside institution plays a role in editorial decision making, which is determined by our experienced editorial team and scientific staff."
