by Judith Curry
Are they trying to control the climate . . . or you?
Marc Morano has a new movie, Climate Hustle.
CLIMATE HUSTLE, hosted by award-winning investigative journalist Marc Morano, reveals the history of climate scares including global cooling; debunks outrageous claims about temperatures, extreme weather, and the so-called “consensus;” exposes the increasingly shrill calls to “act immediately before it’s too late,” and in perhaps the film’s most important section, profiles key scientists who used to believe in climate alarm but have since converted to skepticism.
The movie had a red carpet premiere last December in Paris, and was shown last week in a Congressional briefing.
The film will be aired in 500 theaters in the U.S. (and one in Canada) on May 2 in a one night theater event. Locations and showtimes can be found [here].
Video clips including trailers, interviews with Morano, and other clips are found on the Climate Hustle web page [link]. A list of scientists interviewed in film is found [here].
An interesting interview with Marc Morano about the film is found [here].
Below are a selection of reviews to give you a flavor for the movie and the controversy that it is generating.
Randy Olson’s review
Randy Olson‘s review was published on DotEarth: The Climate Hustler: Review of Marc Morano’s “Climate Hustle”. Excerpts:
I end up with split feelings about Morano. My heart is with him as a fellow communicator and now filmmaker. I appreciate that he is dedicated to making the world a less boring place, which is more than I can say for a lot of environmentalists. But … I’m afraid my brain is still programmed as a scientist and so really can’t buy into most of the bunk that clogs the climate skeptic world. I also think he’s a danger to the efforts of the climate movement and did my best to warn about this in 2010 with a series of blog posts recommending nobody debate him.
I would say to everyone in the climate community who might be terrified of it sweeping the nation’s box office, “It ain’t gonna happen” — any more than the kid down the block shooting hoops in the driveway is going to play in the NBA next year. Not impossible, but ain’t gonna happen. It has the light-hearted and entertaining feel of a Michael Moore film, but is not in the same league.
On the visual side, it is so, so hard to achieve high quality visual elements on a limited budget, which clearly he had (contrary to all the myths of the enviros that he is wealthy from the oil companies — he’s not — I know from nine years of talking to him). And so the interviews are poorly lit, the acted scenes are fun but amateurish, and even the pacing of some graphics are slow.
Overall the editing is decent so the movie does move along — it’s not torture. But it’s also not amazing. The funniest bit, I thought, was clips of Prince Charles over the years saying we’ve only got ten years to act, then five years, then three, then he’s flustered.
While many environmentalists think Marc Morano is the devil and should be tried for crimes against humanity, I think that’s too silly a stretch. We live in a democracy with free speech. There is a need for opposition voices and questioning. If anyone feels threatened by this movie it would have to mean you’re conceding that the communication skills of the environmental side are really bad — which actually they are, so maybe there should be some cause for concern.
Spectator review
The Spectator has a review by Marita Noon: ‘Climate Hustle’ May 2: Don’t miss it. Excerpts:
Using a touch of humor and a three-card monte theme, Morano likens the crisis marketing to a sleight of hand: a Climate Hustle. He says: “when the people pushing you to get into the game, the ones predicting a calamitous future due to global warming, don’t show their cards, it is a hustle.” The film shows the cards so the viewers can decide if “they are playing it straight or if you are being hustled.”
Climate Hustle features a history of climate alarmism. Morano asks: “How has the alleged climate consensus changed over time?” While many of us may recall seeing some of the “wild claims,” Climate Hustle puts them all together — and seeing them back-to-back should cause all thinking people to question what we are being told today.
Yet, as the film demonstrates, scientists don’t want to talk about their failed predictions.
Meanwhile, scientists who don’t agree with the “leaders” are accused, by the likes of Robert F. Kennedy Jr., of “treason.” He wants them “in jail.”
Yes, as Climate Hustle makes clear, there are dissenting scientists — but they are marginalized, even called “kooks.” If they speak out, they are insulted, ignored, ridiculed, ostracized, called heretics, hurt professionally, and even terminated for divergent views. This is not the scientific method.
Despite being treated like 17th century “witches,” many scientists are reexamining the evidence and reversing their positions — even calling their previous views: “quite a big mistake.”
Jumping back and forth from dramatic claims to scientific fact, Climate Hustle helps thinking people see past the fear mongering of the current climate change narrative and examine the global warming evidence for themselves.
Another favorable review, in The American, was written following the Paris premiere, this is also worth reading [link].
Negative reviews
There isn’t much in the way of negative reviews as of yet; as far as I can tell the only person that I would expect to write a negative review that has actually seen the movie is Chris Mooney.
Chris Mooney has a WaPo article that mentions Climate Hustle, but rather focuses on the dust-ups between Bill Nye and Sarah Palin and Marc Morano. Mooney has this to say about the actual movie:
. . . a new documentary, “Climate Hustle,” featuring Marc Morano, publisher of the skeptical website ClimateDepot.com, who takes viewers on a tour through the arguments that some holdout scientists do still make to undermine mainstream climate concerns.
DeSmog did a negative review at the time of the Paris screening, without having seen the film:
Climate Hustle is designed to confuse people, create doubt and further delay climate action — much as Marc Morano has been paid to do for decades. Don’t be conned by the Climate Hustler. If you’re looking for an entertaining film about climate science denial, check out Merchants of Doubt instead, which happens to feature Marc Morano.
Further negative comments from people that haven’t seen the movie are reported in an article posted at mrc.tv:
Bill Nye warned the film’s producer, Climate Depot publisher Marc Morano, that “Climate Hustle’s” content endangers not just the nation, but also the world:
“I think it will expose your point of view as very much in the minority and very much not in our national interest and the world’s interest.”
U.N. Climate Scientist Michael Oppenheimer has, likewise, condemned the film – without even viewing it – for daring to dispute climate alarmism. “Marc is a propagandist,” the U.N. Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change scientist cautions viewers.
JC reflections
Let me start by discussing my take on Marc Morano, and why I agreed to be interviewed for his movie. I first heard of Marc Morano circa 2006, from Joe Romm. Romm’s take on Morano was basically that of the climate ‘anti-Christ.’ I then put ClimateDepot on my list of blogs to monitor, to check up on what the ‘evil’ side in the climate debate was up to. I slowly built up an understanding of what Morano was doing, and I didn’t regard all of it as negative.
At some point (probably around the time of Climategate) I found myself on the same email list as Marc Morano, and we exchanged a few emails on issues of common interest. Circa 2010 (if my memory serves) I referred to Marc Morano as a ‘demagogue’ (I can’t find this anywhere on the internet). Marc was offended, we discussed this on email, and I raised my concern about his attacks on individual climate scientists that included publishing their email addresses, etc. We declared sort of a truce on this, and we agreed to point out to each other if we spotted inappropriate behaviors.
Subsequently, I’ve met Marc several times, and I have to say I like the guy. He’s smart and he’s funny (he pokes fun at both sides), and as far as I can tell he is honest. When he asked to interview me for the movie, I agreed to do it. The interview itself was really fun. I have no complaints about how I was portrayed in the movie.
I saw an earlier version of the film in November, prior to the Paris premiere. I wasn’t quite sure what to expect, but my initial reaction was relief that there were no goofy or incredible statements about the science. I found the movie to be pretty entertaining and even interesting, especially the narratives developed around silly alarmist statements made by scientists and politicians.
I thought the selection of featured scientists was quite good. It included some new faces that were quite effective – Caleb Rossiter, Robert Giegengack, Richard Tol, Daniel Botkin were especially good.
The budget for this was shoestring, I think it was less than $500K (somewhere I recall seeing a $20M budget for Merchants of Doubt movie, this may not be correct). Financials for Merchants of Doubt movie: $192K at the box office, with an additional $114K from home video sales (JC note: Merchants of Doubt movie was discussed in this previous post). It will be interesting to see how Climate Hustle does at the box office (and in subsequent home video sales).
I’m sure people will criticize me for participating in this, but then these are the people that have pretty much already sent me to Coventry, so . . . so what.
The key issue surrounding the movie are reflected in these quotes from Randy Olson and Bill Nye:
“I also think [Morano]’s a danger to the efforts of the climate movement”
“I think it will expose your point of view as very much in the minority and very much not in our national interest and the world’s interest.”
Chip Knappenberger tweetrd re Nye’s ‘national interest’ statement: “Sounds like Nye should work for the State Department.”
Well, I will make no attempt to arbitrate what is in the national interest, but a reminder of minority rights in a constitutional democracy seems in order:
Thomas Jefferson, third President of the United States, expressed this concept of democracy in 1801 in his First Inaugural Address. He said,
All . . . will bear in mind this sacred principle, that though the will of the majority is in all cases to prevail, that will to be rightful must be reasonable; that the minority possess their equal rights, which equal law must protect and to violate would be oppression.
In every genuine democracy today, majority rule is both endorsed and limited by the supreme law of the constitution, which protects the rights of individuals. Tyranny by minority over the majority is barred, but so is tyranny of the majority against minorities.
The perspective in Climate Hustle is arguably a minority perspective, at least in terms of world governments and a select group of scientists. Randy Olson comments on this:
There is a need for opposition voices and questioning. If anyone feels threatened by this movie it would have to mean you’re conceding that the communication skills of the environmental side are really bad — which actually they are, so maybe there should be some cause for concern.
So, I hope some of you will be able to see the movie on May 2, I look forward to your reactions.
While we are on the topic of entertaining film clips, check out this youtube video Old people don’t care about climate change.
Marc Morano posing with his ‘Climate Criminal’ wanted poster in the streets of Paris
Filed under: Communication
