The Global Climate Coalition’s (GCC) Science and Technology Assessment Committee’s (STAC) October 1996 meeting minutes were submitted, along with other GCC documents, during discovery in Green Mtn. Chrysler Plymouth Dodge Jeep v. Crombie and Central Valley Chrysler-Jeep, Inc. v. Witherspoon.

The meeting notes reflect the GCC’s mission to monitor and critique domestic and international climate negotiations; for instance, they included a side-by-side comparison of the GCC’s comments with the U.S. government and National Communications on the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change Second Conference of Parties (UNFCCC COP-2). STAC highlighted where their recommendations were incorporated in the report, marking the inclusion as a victory.

The Electric Power Research Institute’s Chuck Hakkarinen summarized the IPCC Modeling Workshop in London for STAC, while the GCC’s Bronson Gardner informed the committee of his experience at the Mexico IPCC meetings on “regional climate change projections for impact assessment.” In Mexico, “the GCC helped develop language which clearly interpreted the meaning of the phrase ‘based on’ … the language proposed by the GCC was accepted almost in its entirety” (emphasis added). Handwritten notes in the margins of Gardner’s report suggested changes to language, such as deleting the “high degree of [political] inequity” in addressing climate change for vulnerable regions of the world.

The documents also demonstrate the insular nature of the GCC’s research network; attached Senate testimony from Sallie Baliunas of the George C. Marshall Institute referenced the regular rotation of scientists and spokespeople for the climate denial network: Patrick Michaels, Robert Balling, Willie Soon, Richard Lindzen, and John Christy.

Mobil Corporation’s Lenny Bernstein, STAC Co-Chair, called the meeting, which was hosted at the Chemical Manufacturers Association (now the American Chemistry Council).

Highlights from the meeting notes include:

• A presentation by D.J. Devlin of Exxon about the purported impact of climate change on human health. Devlin recommended identifying “scientific leaders with ‘diverse’ views” and critiquing “predictive models.” The presentation is available on Climate Files.
• A letter from John Moore, President of the Institute for Evaluating Health Risks (IEHR), to Lenny Bernstein, defining IEHR’s work and how it could “be of relevance to your interests.” The letter shows the GCC’s working relationship with think tanks in order to generate support. Members of the IEHR management committee included representatives from Exxon, Dow Chemical, and Monsanto.

Interested in more GCC documents? See more in the full Global Climate Coalition collection.