This study investigates the role of climate change contrarians in the defeat of the American Clean Energy and Security Act in 2010, a pivotal moment in U.S. climate policy that marked the end of extensive efforts to enact cap-and-trade climate legislation in the United States. Our research objectives are twofold: firstly, to determine the extent to which climate contrarians gained access to testify at congressional hearings in the years leading up to the bill’s ultimate defeat; and secondly, to examine the potential influence of fossil fuel industry (FFI) funds in facilitating this access. We compile a comprehensive new dataset encompassing all witnesses testifying at cap-and-trade and climate science hearings from 2003 to 2010. This information is cross-referenced with other pertinent data concerning interest groups, lobbying activities, and Congress. Our findings reveal a significant correlation between FFI lobbying expenditures and campaign contributions and the presence of contrarian witnesses at these hearings, suggesting a coordinated effort by the FFI to obstruct climate legislation. We find that contrarians were able to obtain disproportionate access to central hearings in key committees with jurisdiction over cap-and-trade bills, increasing their potential to obstruct legislation. Moreover, our analysis exposes a concerning over-representation of scientists known to deny the scientific consensus at these hearings, undermining the scientific consensus on climate change and perpetuating doubt about the urgency of climate action.

中文翻译：

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击败限额与交易：化石燃料行业和气候变化反制运动如何阻碍美国气候变化立法


本研究调查了气候变化反对者在 2010 年《美国清洁能源与安全法案》失败中的作用，这是美国气候政策的关键时刻，标志着美国颁布总量控制与交易气候立法的广泛努力结束。我们的研究目标有两个：首先，确定在该法案最终失败前的几年里，气候反对者在多大程度上获得了在国会听证会上作证的机会;其次，研究化石燃料行业 （FFI） 基金在促进这种准入方面的潜在影响。我们编制了一个全面的新数据集，包括 2003 年至 2010 年在限额与交易和气候科学听证会上作证的所有证人。此信息与有关利益集团、游说活动和国会的其他相关数据进行交叉引用。我们的研究结果显示，FFI 游说支出和竞选捐款与这些听证会上出现的反对证人之间存在显著相关性，这表明 FFI 正在协调努力阻碍气候立法。我们发现，反对者能够在对限额与交易法案具有管辖权的关键委员会中获得不成比例的中央听证会，从而增加了他们阻碍立法的可能性。此外，我们的分析揭示了令人担忧的科学家人数过多，这些科学家在这些听证会上否认科学共识，破坏了关于气候变化的科学共识，并延续了对气候行动紧迫性的怀疑。