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Merchants of Doubt: How a Handful of Scientists Obscured the Truth on Issues from Tobacco Smoke to Climate Change Spiral-Bound | May 24, 2011

Naomi Oreskes, Erik M. Conway

★★★★☆+ from 1,001 to 10,000 ratings

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"Anyone concerned about the state of democracy in America should read this book."—Al Gore

"A fascinating account of a very thorny problem."—Bill McKibben

"Merchants of Doubt should finally put to rest the question of whether the science of climate change is settled. It is, and we ignore this message at our peril."—Elizabeth Kolbert


"Brilliantly reported and written with brutal clarity."—Huffington Post

Merchants of Doubt was one of the most talked-about climate change books of recent years, for reasons easy to understand: It tells the controversial story of how a loose-knit group of high-level scientists and scientific advisers, with deep connections in politics and industry, ran effective campaigns to mislead the public and deny well-established scientific knowledge over four decades. The same individuals who claim the science of global warming is "not settled" have also denied the truth about studies linking smoking to lung cancer, coal smoke to acid rain, and CFCs to the ozone hole. "Doubt is our product," wrote one tobacco executive. These "experts" supplied it.

Publisher: Macmillan
Original Binding: Trade Paperback
Pages: 368 pages
ISBN-10: 1608193942
Item Weight: 0.9 lbs
Dimensions: 5.6 x 1.1 x 8.3 inches
Customer Reviews: 4 out of 5 stars 1,001 to 10,000 ratings

Naomi Oreskes is a professor of history and science studies at the University of California, San Diego. Her essay "Beyond the Ivory Tower" was a milestone in the fight against global warming denial.


Erik M. Conway is the resident historian at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory at the California Institute of Technology. Merchants of Doubt is their first book together.