On Copenhagen Consensus funding

Bjorn Lomborg, June 30 2014

The recent attacks from DeSmog Blog and Joe Romm have all the characteristics of a classic, political smear campaign, taking some entirely unproblematic facts, throwing in some half-truths and hinting something much worse without a shred of evidence, hoping some of the dirt will stick. 

Both DeSmog Blog and Joe Romm have mischaracterized my arguments and positions many times before. It is hard not to think that dirt-throwing is mostly used when one has run out of good arguments.

But let me, just for the record, point out why there is nothing to these attacks.

First, there’s nothing secretive to our IRS filings–anyone including DeSmog Blog can read them on the internet. And we are being audited by one of the best American nonprofit auditors, CohnReznick.

Second, there is nothing in the attempt to try to link our sponsors with American fossil fuel interests. DeSmog mentions four foundations (Rush, Randolph, Kauffman and Sevenbar). These foundations all self-declare as bi-partisan.  In reality, one of the foundations (Randolph) is probably to the right.  One is in the middle – Kauffman, the United States largest foundation for economic research. Two of the foundations are more likely slightly to the left. Sevenbar works together with the Nobel Prize winner Mohammed Yunnis, and has as one of its board members Eva Longoria, a friend of the Obamas. Rush, focuses on HIV work in sub-Saharan Africa. Saddening, DeSmog Blog and Joe Romm exclusively focus on the first two.

The only connection DeSmog Blog is able to make, is that some of the people working in Randolph foundation, in other capacities have said something climate–skeptic or been seen at conservative meetings. 

Joe Romm claims that ‘The “Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation” is part of the “Koch Funded Cabal”’ but in his link he shows this is a cabal that was also attended by McDonald’s, Microsoft and Pfizer. Moreover, his example covers just one of what is likely hundreds of annual projects from Kauffman. Claiming that this is all that is needed to link Kauffman to Koch seems pitiful. 

Third, my salary is performance-based, and it has been decided by the independent board members of the Copenhagen Consensus in a compensation committee together with a compensation consultant. The pay for 2012 was extraordinarily large, because I that year brought in over three million dollars in long-term funding. In 2013 I received from the Copenhagen Consensus (as is publicly available in our IRS filings) $200,484.

Fourth, many on the internet seem to have jumped to the conclusion that because of the suggestive writing from DeSmog and Romm, that we’re funded by fossil fuel interests (or specifically the Koch brothers). This is simply untrue.
Copenhagen Consensus does *not* take money from the fossil fuel industry.

Moreover, none of our donors have any influence over our projects or the outcome of the projects.

Not all donors wish to be public, and exactly this dirt throwing campaign against the Copenhagen Consensus and me shows clearly why most donors do not wish to get the same treatment.

We work together with more than a hundred of the worlds leading economists and seven Nobel Laureates – and it is their work that gives credibility to the Copenhagen Consensus and give us the opportunity to advise people like Bill Gates and organizations like the UN.

Links: 

http://www.desmogblog.com/2014/06/25/millions-behind-bjorn-lomborg-cope…
http://thinkprogress.org/climate/2014/06/25/3453053/koch-bjorn-lomborg-…