Koch Industries: Secretly Funding the Climate Denial Machine

Koch Industries: Secretly Funding the Climate Denial Machine

Download the report as a PDF

Billionaire oilman David Koch likes to joke that Koch Industries is “the biggest company you've never heard of.” But the nearly $50 million that David Koch and his brother Charles have quietly funneled to climate-denial front groups that are working to delay policies and regulations aimed at stopping global warming is no joking matter.

Charles G. Koch and David H. Koch have a vested interest in delaying climate action: they’ve made billions from their ownership and control of Koch Industries, an oil corporation that is the second largest privately-held company in America (which also happens to have an especially poor environmental record). It’s time more people were aware of Charles and David Koch and just what they’re up to.

Greenpeace has released the report “Koch Industries: Secretly Funding the Climate Denial Machine” to expose the connections between these climate denial front groups and the secretive billionaires who are funding their efforts. The Koch brothers, their family members, and their employees direct a web of financing that supports conservative special interest groups and think-tanks, with a strong focus on fighting environmental regulation, opposing clean energy legislation, and easing limits on industrial pollution. This money is typically funneled through one of three "charitable" foundations the Kochs have set up: the Claude R. Lambe Foundation; the Charles G. Koch Foundation; and the David H. Koch Foundation.

Download the report

You can use the interactive web tool above to explore Koch's Web of Dirty Money and Influence, or download the whole “Koch Industries: Secretly Funding the Climate Denial Machine” report as a PDF:

Executive Summary - Koch Industries: Secretly Funding the Climate Denial Machine (PDF)
Koch Industries: Secretly Funding the Climate Denial Machine (PDF)

Case Studies: How Does Koch Industries Influence the Climate Debate?

• The Koch-funded “ClimateGate” Echo Chamber
• Polar Bear Junk Science and Koch Industries
  
• The “Spanish Study” on Green Jobs and Koch Industries
  
• The “Danish Study” on Wind Power and Koch Industries
  
• Koch Organizations Instrumental in Dissemination of ACCF/NAM Claims

How can you help?

By spreading the word to your networks on sites like Facebook and Twitter, you can make more people aware of who the Kochs are and unmask the “experts” who take money from them to write reports and appear on TV questioning the wisdom of taking action to save the climate.

Key Front Groups Taking Koch Money And Doing Their Dirty Work

From 1997 to 2008, the Kochs funneled more than $48.5 million to organizations who are working in lockstep with the Kochs' agenda while presenting themselves as experts. Some top recipients of Koch money include:

• Mercatus Center
  $9,247,500 received from Koch foundations 2005-2008 [Total Koch foundation grants 1997-2008: $9,874,500]
• Americans for Prosperity Foundation (AFP)
  $5,176,500 received from Koch foundations 2005-2008 [No Koch foundation grants received prior to 2005]
• The Heritage Foundation
  $1,620,000 received from Koch foundations 2005-2008 [Total Koch foundation grants 1997-2008: $3,358,000]
• Cato Institute
  $1,028,400 received from Koch foundations 2005-2008 [Total Koch foundation grants 1997-2008: $5,278,400]