Climate Science vs. Fossil Fuel Fiction

The document contrasts a 1995 ALEC claim that global warming predictions were theoretical and lacked scientific consensus with the 1995 IPCC Assessment Report, which identified a "discernible human influence on global climate." It details ALEC's role in distributing "model" legislation to state legislators to oppose EPA carbon standards and repeal renewable energy standards, noting that ALEC's Energy, Environment, and Agriculture Task Force has included members such as BP, Chevron, ExxonMobil, Peabody Energy, and Shell.

• In 1995, ALEC claimed that predictions of catastrophic global warming were theoretical and not supported by a general scientific consensus, despite the IPCC's 1995 Assessment Report stating that "the balance of evidence suggests a discernible human influence on global climate" and identifying "potentially serious changes" such as increased extreme high-temperature events, floods, and droughts.
• ALEC's Energy, Environment, and Agriculture Task Force serves as a venue for fossil fuel interests to lobby state legislators and provide misinformation on climate science. Membership in this task force between 2010 and 2011 included companies such as BP, Chevron, ExxonMobil, Peabody Energy, and Shell, as well as trade associations like the American Petroleum Institute (API), American Gas Association (AGA), and the American Coalition for Clean Coal Electricity (ACCCE).
• ALEC distributes "model" legislation to state legislators to obstruct climate solutions, specifically targeting EPA carbon standards and state renewable energy standards (RES). In 2007, ALEC urged the EPA not to make an endangerment finding under the Clean Air Act. In 2013, ALEC claimed credit for RES rollback legislation in 15 states, and in 2014, such bills passed in Ohio and Wisconsin.

APA

Union of Concerned Scientists (2015). Climate Science vs. Fossil Fuel Fiction. https://www.ucs.org/sites/default/files/attach/2015/03/ALECquote1995.pdf

Chicago

Union of Concerned Scientists. Climate Science vs. Fossil Fuel Fiction. 2015. https://www.ucs.org/sites/default/files/attach/2015/03/ALECquote1995.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Union of Concerned Scientists |title=Climate Science vs. Fossil Fuel Fiction |date=March 2015 |url=https://www.ucs.org/sites/default/files/attach/2015/03/ALECquote1995.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{unionofconcernedscientists2015climate, author = {{Union of Concerned Scientists}}, title = {{Climate Science vs. Fossil Fuel Fiction}}, institution = {Union of Concerned Scientists}, year = {2015}, month = mar, url = {https://www.ucs.org/sites/default/files/attach/2015/03/ALECquote1995.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }