Lord Lawson's Global Warming Policy Foundation to Split into two following campaign by Green Party members

Lord Lawson's 'Global Warming Policy Foundation' to split into two, following campaign by Green Party members

 

Lord Lawson's Global Warming Policy Foundation (GWPF) is to split into two following a campaign led by Green Party members in the East of England to expose breaches of its charity status. 

James Abbott, Essex Green Party County Councillor and former Science Spokesperson for the Green Party, provided the Charity Commission with regular reports on the activities of the GWPF.

 

The GWPF has enjoyed the status of an "educational charity", which brings tax advantages.

 

However research by Greens revealed that the output of the organisation via its website was almost entirely anti-Green, pro-fossil fuel and 'climate sceptic'. Not only that, but James Abbott revealed a repeating pattern of the GWPF taking published articles and papers from around the world and changing the titles to give them more of an anti-green flavour. When asking a number of authors and publications if the GWPF had their permission to do this, the answer was always "no".

 

The GWPF today announced:

London, 9 May: The Global Warming Policy Foundation has decided to form a new non-charitable company which will be able to conduct campaigns and activities which do not fall squarely within the educational remit of the charity.

This arrangement reflects those used by other organisations with dual structures, such as Amnesty International UK and Greenpeace UK.

The Global Warming Policy Foundation will continue to advance its charitable objects by commissioning and publishing reports and papers and by organising lectures and debates on key matters relating to climate science and policy.

Some elements of its website, in particular its news articles and opinion pieces, will henceforth be covered by the new organisation.

The Trustees intend to establish this new organisation under the name "Global Warming Policy Forum".

Subject to ongoing discussions with the Charity Commission, we expect the new structure to be up and running by the end of July.

http://www.thegwpf.org/global-warming-policy-foundation-to-establish-campaigning-arm/

 

Dr. Rupert Read, Lead Green candidate for the European Election in Eastern region said

 

 

"The campaign that James Abbott and I have been running for a while now to expose the GWPF as a dogmatic and politically-charged cliamte-deniallist organisation that is unfit for charitable status seems to have finally borne fruit. This is a happy day."

Cllr. James Abbott said:

"The Global Warming Policy Foundation, is separating into two so that its anti-green, fossil-fuel-promoting campaigning activities are kept apart from its charity status.

It looks like after more than a year of requests from Green Party members to the Charity Commission to investigate the GWPF, they are now requiring the GWPF to cease using its charity status as a platform for its lobbying activities.

This will be an embarrassment for Lord Lawson and the climate sceptic community who have long held up the GWPF as a 'credible' vehicle for their views."