Private Beneficiaries of Climate Change

It would also appear that some of those most vocal about the dangers of climate change are also making a healthy living from their lectures, movies and books on the subject. According to this article from the Times Online:

When he lost the 2000 election (to George W. Bush), Al Gore was worth just £1m. His biggest assets were his two homes in Nashville, Tennessee, and Arlington, Virginia, valued at £375,000, and £500,000 invested in oil company shares.

…Today Gore commands between £50,000 and £85,000 a speech, holds stock options in Google worth £15m and has made as much as £4m from advances on his book deals. He is also advising a US venture capital company on how to invest a $600m green technology fund.
…Since the release of his documentary film An Inconvenient Truth, Gore has given 150 speeches a year.

…A contract for one of his speaking arrangements, released by the University of California under freedom of information requirements, reveals that Gore demands first class travel and accommodation and £500 a day for meals, phone calls and other expenses.

The contract stipulates that Gore’s car from the airport should be “a sedan, not a sports utility vehicle”.

Then there is this from the U.K.'s Daily Mail:

In December of 2007 Al Gore gave a speech to the Fortune Forum summit in London charged £100,000 for a half –hour speech. That equated to an earning rate of £3,300-per-minute.

Also this from the Drudge Report:

In the wake of becoming the most well-known global warming alarmist, Gore won an Oscar, a Grammy and the Nobel Peace Prize. In addition, Gore saw his personal wealth increase by an estimated $100 million thanks largely to speaking fees and investments related to global warming hysteria.

His spokesman emphasised, however, that Gore waives his lecture fees for charities and schools and gives a proportion of his income to the Alliance for Climate Protection, of which he is chairman.

Australia is not immune from this also. Professor Tim Flannery, whilst not in the league of Al Gore, has regularly commanded $10,000 a speech on Climate Change, however, according to Michael Warner of Melbourne’s Herald Sun :

The climate change crusader confirmed he charges US corporations up to $US50,000 for speeches -- an Australian record.

Prof Flannery revealed he pocketed $US50,000 ($A64,000) for a speech last year and would soon be paid the same amount on a US speaking tour.

But he said he charged much less for speeches in Australia, often giving presentations for free.
Prof Flannery said he intended giving 10 per cent of his earnings to a yet-to-be-named environmental fund.

The scientist, explorer and best-selling author said he had received up to 20 speaking requests a day from around the world since being named Australian of the Year.

Professor Flannery’s book “The Weather Makers” not only is on the best seller list of many countries but is also in junior reader format so that it can be put into Australian schools.

It could be argued from these two examples of high profile scientists and the funding arrangements detailed by Professor England, that it would not be in any of their interests to say anything that would cast doubt that Climate Change is anything but real. As for all concerned it has been a strong source of profit or funding for each of them.