Exclusive: Billionaires secretly fund attacks on climate science

Audit trail reveals that donors linked to fossil fuel industry are backing global warming skeptics

The Koch brothers are caught secretly funding climate denial, of course. But this is the part that makes my blood boil. They get "generous tax relief" for funding climate denial. Yes and calling a fund for climate denial the Knowledge and Progress Fund is like fingernails on a chalkboard.

... convoluted arrangements are becoming increasingly common to shield the identity and backgrounds of the wealthy supporters of climate scepticism – some of whom have vested interests in the fossil-fuel industry.

The Knowledge and Progress Fund, whose directors include Charles Koch and his wife Liz, gave $1.25m to Donors in 2007, a further $1.25m in 2008 and $2m in 2010. It does not appear to have given money to any other group and there is no mention of the fund on the websites of Koch Industries or the Charles Koch Foundation.

The Donors Trust is a "donor advised fund", meaning that it has special status under the US tax system. People who give money receive generous tax relief and can retain greater anonymity than if they had used their own charitable foundations because, technically, they do not control how Donors spends the cash.

Anonymous private funding of global warming skeptics, who have criticized climate scientists for their lack of transparency, is becoming increasingly common. [emphasis mine]

Aagh!