The numbers are a nice to know but he only conclusion is that everyone profits from energy exploitation, even Fat Albert Gore Jr. If you are in a job that does not require energy input into its processes, let me know, I would like to invest. Climate research should be used to identify patterns, problems and changes but must be able to prove within reason the source of these changes without bias or agenda or its not science, period!

Your comment is an ad hominem attack on Mr. Gore, not a response to the posting. Gore is entitled to put his money where his mouth is — just as oil and coal company executives are. Moreover, the NYT article states that Gore doesn’t lobby legislators to favor his investments to nearly the extent O&C companies do. In addition, much of his ‘profit’ is donated to a ‘non-profit’.

Can you address the substance of the posting?

http://www.globalsubsidies.org/en/subsidy-watch/studies/gsi-publishes-the-politics-fossil-fuel-subsidies

A small number in comparison to the $9000 billions mentioned above, but one has to say that yeah, the energy industry is doing OK.

I suppose that global spending on research and development totals somewhat more than $1000 billions per year? No website comes immediately to hand. But the total for basic research is not the larger portion of that. Within ‘basic’ climate research is a very small proportion, as indicated above.

But if you’re a bright scientist driven by cash, a university is the LAST place you wind up.

To be fair, though, that number is…shall we say…flexible. And more grant money brought in does have its perks, salary and tenure among them. Of course, compared to the numbers you’re talking about, it’s a mere pittance. That may be enough for some.

I suspect most scientists aren’t in it for the money, but that doesn’t mean they are above taking what they can get. And as with any profession, they aren’t above a bit of ego-stroking, either. It takes a sort of insanity to spend hours and hours and hours staring at data and we all like to feel that what we’re doing actually MATTERS.

He is styling riding around in his Gulfstream V, living in his mansions, while telling everyone else to cut back. He’s good.

Denny – I’ve studied this stuff in detail for years now, and I was still surprised just how much of the global economy was devoted to fossil fuels and just how little money is really spent on science. I figured the numbers would be big, but not 15% (and maybe as much as 25%) of the global economy big.

Wufnik – I don’t know what you’re talking about. I just did what I was told and followed the money trail to where it led.

See http://initforthegold.blogspot.com/2007/04/science-budget-talking-point.html

I think the real question is the communication budget. The public money actually set up for the defense of science against attack is, I venture, precisely zero in the US, and small elsewhere. There seem to be a couple of private initiatives, but they have their own agendas that always seem to get in the way. If the oil companies (never mind other related interests) put one part in ten thousand of their NET income into misleading the public, that will be $37 million vs., pretty much, volunteer blogging.