Here are some of the key individuals that have played a role in the attack on the science of climate change:
The Koch Brothers - David and Charles
Charles Koch and David Koch are the majority owners of Koch Industries, an oil and gas conglomerate which ranks as America's second largest privately-held company. With operations in nearly 60 countries and annual revenues pushing $100 billion, David Koch likes to say, "we're the biggest company you've never heard of." Read more about David and Charles Koch.
Tim Phillips
Tim Phillips is the president of the non-profit organizations Americans for Prosperity (AFP) and Americans for Prosperity Foundation. Prior to to AFP, Phillips co-founded Century Strategies, a political and corporate consulting firm. Phillips describes himself as "one of the nation's premier grassroots organizers." Americans for Prosperity (AFP) was started by the oil billionaire David Koch and is the third largest recipient of funding from the Koch Family Foundations. Read more about Tim Phillips.
Christopher Monckton
Christopher Monckton is the third Viscount of Benchley, a hereditary title in the United Kingdom. Contrary to Monckton's claims, he is not a member of the House of Lords in the Parliament of Britain. He is also not a scientist. Read more about Christopher Monckton.
Rex Tillerson
Rex Tillerson is the Chairman and CEO of the world's largest oil and gas company, ExxonMobil. According to Forbes Magazine, Exxon is the most profitable publicly traded company in world history -- generating more than $1.6 trillion in revenue between 2009-2012. Exxon is so notorious in its climate denial funding that Greenpeace created ExxonSecrets, a website to record the oil giant's activities to discredit climate science. Read more about ExxonMobil and Rex Tillerson.
George W. Bush
The Bush family has made its living from oil since the early 20th Century, so it comes as no surprise that George W. Bush's presidency was filled with pro-oil industry policies, while major environment policies were either rejected or ignored. Read more about George W. Bush.
Dick Cheney
Often referred to as the most powerful Vice President in American history, Cheney was a key decision-maker in the Bush White House. Largely focused on defense and security, he also pried himself into energy issues as well. Read more about Dick Cheney.
Philip Cooney
Philip Cooney works for ExxonMobil. His previous employment includes a 15-year tenure working for the American Petroleum Institute as a lobbyist and as the organization's "climate team leader." Read more about Philip Cooney.
Clarence Thomas
Clarence Thomas has served as a Supreme Court Justice since 1991, when he was nominated by President George H. W. Bush. Upon his appointment, Thomas supplanted Antonin Scalia as the most conservative member of the high court. Read more about Clarence Thomas.
Marc Morano
Marc Morano, the executive director of ClimateDepot.com, is one of climate denial's most prolific media-heads. In 2012, Morano was named the Climate Change Misinformer of the Year by conservative watchdog group Media Matters for America. Read more about Marc Morano.
James Inhofe
Senator Inhofe is one of the most conservative members in the U.S. Congress. In regard to climate change, he is the most outspoken critic of the science, and frequently uses the Senate floor as platform to spread misinformation about climate change and to oppose any action from the U.S. government to address global warming. Read more about James Inhofe.
Myron Ebell
Myron Ebell is the director of energy and global warming policy at the conservative think tank, the Competitive Enterprise Institute (CEI). Read more about Myron Ebell.
Jay Lehr
Jay Lehr is a Senior Fellow and Science Director at the Heartland Institute, a conservative think tank. Also a prolific national speaker on environmental and agricultural issues, Lehr earned America's first doctorate in Ground Water Hydrology back in 1962. For more than 20 years, Lehr has maintained environmentalists are fear-mongering zealots. Read more about Jay Lehr.
David Bossie
David Bossie is the President of Citizens United, a conservative advocacy group. Prior to assuming his position with Citizens United in 2000, Bossie worked as a Congressional investigator. Read more about David Bossie.
Ian Plimer
Ian Plimer is a professor of Mining Geology at the University of Adelaide, South Australia, and Emeritus Professor of Earth Sciences at the University of Melbourne. He is also the director of seven mining companies, with at least two having coal interests. Mining industries, particularly coal, would be adversely affected if governments enacted climate legislation. Read more about Ian Plimer.
