Many environmental activists would like to tell you that the "climate change deniers" are absurdly well funded, and are thus out there wealthily distorting the truth.  Don't let them fool you. 

 hanks to Joe Bast and Cece Forrester at The Heartland Institute, a cursory review of recent funding generated largely by climate change alarmism reveals some interesting numbers.  Ms. Forrester's review is, with permission and appreciation, copied below for your perusal:

1.  Environmental groups raised $6.6 billion in charitable gifts in 2006, down slightly (1.3%) from 2005, but 2005 was up a whopping 14 percent from 2004-2005. The following excerpt is from the June 28, 2007 issue of Chronicle of Philanthropy:

                                                                    
Behind the numbers:

Last year’s decline comes after a big increase in gifts in 2005, when donations grew by 14 percent. The 2005 donations were so strong due in part to concern about global warming and predictions that storms as severe as Hurricane Katrina would become more common, fund raisers say.

Environmental activists say they expect giving in 2007 to be good, as concerns about climate change continue to dominate the news.

“People are really getting that there’s a big problem,” says Kalman Stein, chief executive office of Earth Share, a Bethesda, Md., organization that raises money for more than 400 national and local environmental groups. It’s not just hurricanes and movies, it’s lead stories in magazines, the polar bears, a steady drumbeat. It’s an issue that’s going to be as big a focus years from now.”

2. Some very large gifts were made very recently, including $70 million by the Rockefeller Foundation “to help cities and towns around the world prepare for the potentially damaging effects of climate change” and $100 million by the Doris Duke Charitable Trust announced in April. The following is an excerpt from the August 23, 2007 issue of Chronicle of Philanthropy:

Rockefeller Pledges $70-Million to Combat Effects of Global Warming

The Rockefeller Foundation, in New York, has pledged $70-million to help cities and towns around the world prepare for the  potentially damaging effects of climate change. The five-year Initiative on Climate Change Resilience will seek ways to help people in poor neighborhoods develop ways to confront the potential for increased flooding, severe droughts, the spread of infectious diseases such as malaria and cholera, and other major disruptions. ...

The issue of global climate change is attracting increasing philanthropic dollars. The Doris Duke Charitable Trust announced in April a $100-million, five-year commitment to combating the problem.

3.  Just looking through a half-dozen recent issues of Chronicle of Philanthropy I noted 37 contributions to environmental advocacy groups totaling $55 million. The table below briefly describes these gifts.