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Science teachers’ association accused of oil company influence
Nov 27, 2006
Special to World Science
Some science educators
are questioning whether the leading organization of
U.S. science teachers has acted as a shill for the oil industry. Global warming will take
a disproportionate toll on Africa, creating a greater risk of drought and
fires, according to a study published in the Nov. 24 issue of the
African Journal of Ecology.
Above, fire sweeps through dry African terrain. (Image courtesy NASA) Send us a comment
on this story, or send
it to a friend
The controversy erupted after the National Science Teachers’ Association rejected
an offer of 50,000 free copies of “An Inconvenient Truth,” the popular
film on global warming by erstwhile presidential candidate
Al Gore.
A producer of the movie claimed that as one reason for rejecting the DVDs, the teachers’ group stated that accepting them could
hinder its fundraising.
Writing in Sunday’s Washington Post, a producer
for the movie suggested it
may be no coincidence that the group’s funders
include Exxon-Mobil Corp. The company
has for years tried to “stifle”
honest discussion of global warming, the producer editorialized.
Spokesmen for the association and Exxon-Mobil did not respond
to requests for comment for this article.
Most scientists believe industrial emissions are gradually warming
Earth’s climate, killing off a range of species and threatening possible environmental
catastrophe. The oil industry—which could suffer financially
from regulations designed to curb the problem—has sought to play down
or dismiss the fears.
The idea that the industry might influence a group closely involved
in educating American children sparked an outcry across the blogosphere this week, including
from some scientists.
The association “seem[s] in the pocket of the oil industry,” wrote
P. Z. Myers, a biologist and associate professor at the University of Minnesota, Morris, in his popular blog
“Pharyngula.”
The Arlington, Va.-based teachers’ association, which describes
itself as the world’s largest group of its kind, claims a membership of more than 55,000 science teachers. The group describes its mission as promoting excellence and innovation in science teaching.
The Washington Post opinion piece was by Laurie David, a producer of
“An Inconvenient Truth” and wife of comedian Larry David, creator of the television shows
“Seinfeld” and “Curb Your Enthusiasm.”
She wrote: “At hundreds of screenings this year of ‘An Inconvenient
Truth,’ the first thing many viewers said after the lights came up was that every student in every school in the United States needed to see this movie.”
Thus, “the company that made the documentary decided to offer 50,000 free DVDs to the National Science Teachers’ Association” for classroom
use. But the teachers turned it down.
“In their e-mail rejection, they expressed concern that other ‘special interests’ might ask to distribute materials, too; they said they didn’t want to offer ‘political’ endorsement of the film; and they saw ‘little, if any, benefit’” to the group or its members in accepting it.
However, she wrote, “the movie has been enthusiastically endorsed by leading climate scientists worldwide, and is required viewing for all students in Norway and Sweden.”
Also, she added, “there was one more curious argument in the e-mail: Accepting the DVDs, they wrote, would place ‘unnecessary risk upon the [group’s] capital campaign, especially certain targeted supporters.’ One of those supporters, it turns out, is the Exxon Mobil Corp.
That’s the same Exxon Mobil that for more than a decade has done everything possible to muddle public understanding of global warming and stifle any serious effort to solve it.”
The oil industry as a whole, and with other corporations, have
been similarly influencing education for years, she argued.
David abstained from directly accusing the teachers’ group of bending to oil company influence. She also offered some words of sympathy for the organization,
suggesting it might have trouble raising money.
Some bloggers were less generous.
“Memo to the Christian Coalition: The NSTA is for sale. For a mere million bucks a year, I’ll bet you could get them on board with Intelligent Design, too,”
quipped Sara Robinson, co-author of “Orcinus,” a liberal blog.
But the blog of the U.S. National Association of Manufacturers
sided with the teachers’ group, criticizing the movie as “politics masked as science” and accusing David of hypocrisy. “We applaud the move of the nation’s science teachers, who teach the scientific method every day, who hopefully are instilling in young minds some degree of curiosity, inquisitiveness and yes, even skepticism,” the blog stated.
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Some scientists are questioning whether the United States’ leading organization of science teachers acts as a shill for the oil industry, including companies such as Exxon-Mobil Corp. The controversy arose after the National Science Teachers’ Association rejected 50,000 free copies of “An Inconvenient Truth,” the popular Al Gore movie on global warming. in Sunday’s Washington Post, a producer of the movie claimed that as one reason for rejecting the DVDs, the teachers’ group stated that accepting them could hinder its fundraising. It may be no coincidence, the producer suggested, that one of the group’s funders is Exxon-Mobil, which has for years tried to stifle public education on global warming. Most scientists believe that a gradual global warming is occurring with potentially catastrophic results. The oil industry—which could suffer from environmental regulations designed to curb the problem—has tried to play down the fears. The idea that the oil industry might be influencing a group closely involved with educating American children sparked an outcry across the blogosphere this week, including some scientists. The association “seem[s] in the pocket of the oil industry,” wrote P.Z. Myers, a biologist and associate professor at the University of Minnesota, Morris, in his popular blog Pharyngula. The National Science Teachers’ Association, the world’s largest organization of science teachers, claims a membership of more than 55,000 science teachers. The group describes its mission as promoting excellence and innovation in science teaching. The Washington Post opinion piece was by Laurie David, a producer of An Inconvenient Truth and wife of comedian Larry David, creator of the television shows Seinfeld and Curb Your Enthusiasm. She wrote: “At hundreds of screenings this year of ‘An Inconvenient Truth,” the first thing many viewers said after the lights came up was that every student in every school in the United States needed to see this movie.” Thus, “The company that made the documentary decided to offer 50,000 free DVDs to the National Science Teachers Association” for educators to use in their classroom. But the teachers turned it down. “In their e-mail rejection, they expressed concern that other ‘special interests’ might ask to distribute materials, too; they said they didn’t want to offer ‘political’ endorsement of the film; and they saw ‘little, if any, benefit’” to the group or its members in accepting it. However, she wrote, “the movie has been enthusiastically endorsed by leading climate scientists worldwide, and is required viewing for all students in Norway and Sweden.” Also, she added, “there was one more curious argument in the e-mail: Accepting the DVDs, they wrote, would place ‘unnecessary risk upon the [group’s] capital campaign, especially certain targeted supporters.’ One of those supporters, it turns out, is the Exxon Mobil Corp.” “That’s the same Exxon Mobil that for more than a decade has done everything possible to muddle public understanding of global warming and stifle any serious effort to solve it.” David abstained from directly accusing the group of bending to oil company influence. She also offered some words of sympathy for the organization, noting that it might have budget troubles. Some bloggers were less generous. “Memo to the Christian Coalition: The NSTA is for sale. For a mere million bucks a year, I’ll bet you could get them on board with Intelligent Design, too,” wrote Sara Robinson, co-author of the liberal blog Orcinus. But the blog of the U.S. National Association of Manufacturers took the organization’s side, criticizing the movie as “politics masked as science” and accusing David of hypocrisy. “We applaud the move of the nation’s science teachers, who teach the scientific method every day, who hopefully are instilling in young minds some degree of curiosity, inquisitiveness and yes, even skepticism,” the blog stated. Spokespersons for the National Science Teachers’ Association and Exxon-Mobil did not immediately available for comment.