96 begin to erect barriers against future efforts to impose Kyoto-like measures in the future.”454 Chillingly, it declared that “victory will be achieved when average citizens ‘understand’ (recognize) uncertainties in climate science; recognition of uncertainties becomes part of the ‘conventional wisdom’”455 and “those promoting the Kyoto treaty on the basis of extant science appear to be out of touch with reality.”456 From the testimonies of various resource persons and documents submitted in the course of the inquiry, the Commission is of the opinion that the strategies described in the communications action plan were actually deployed, politicians were funded, and front groups were created to oppose regulations under the guise of grassroots support. Evidence was also presented, proving the coal industry’s history of misleading the public about climate science. In 1991, for example, coal companies formed the Information Council on the Environment (ICE), which launched a national campaign to disparage climate science and cherry-pick the data to highlight claims of cooling temperatures to confuse the public. Print and radio ads presented climate science as alarmist and out of touch with reality.457 ICE’s internal documents show that their campaigns sought to target: 1) “older,less-educated males from larger household,who are not typically active information seekers,” and 2) “younger, low-income women.”458 In the same year as it was formed, ICE’s devious aims were quickly uncovered by the press and its activities terminated. The coal industry sent forged letters, appropriating letterheads from respected constituent groups representing minorities, seniors, and women, to members of Congress to influence the votes on the American Clean Energy and Security Act of 2009, which proposed to institute a federal carbon emissions reduction plan. A congressional investigation on the matter “revealed that the fraud was perpetrated by a lobbying firm subcontracted 454 Id. at 6. 455 Id. at 1. 456 Id. 457 Exhibit QQ, The Climate Deception Dossiers (Internal Fossil Fuel Industry Memos Reveal Decades of Corporate Disinformation) by Union of Concerned Scientists, at 19. 458 ICE Benchmark Survey from Exhibit AAAAAAA to AAAAAAA-1, Climate Files Post Index prepared by Climate Investigations Center with links to copies of the actual documents, available at http://www.climatefiles.com/denial-groups/ice-campaign-plan/ (last accessed Mar. 5, 2020).

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