Willie Soon Corporate Cash - A renowned Malaysia-born researcher, who is frequently cited by politicians who are opposed to climate-change legislation, has been accused of seeking funding from companies to cover the cost his studies and in the process creating a conflict of interest.
According to The New York Times, a document released by Greenpeace under the Freedom of Information Act shows that Dr. Willie Soon has received over $1 million in funding from the fossil-fuel industry over the past decade. Some of the companies that have donated to Soon include Southern Company Services, American Petroleum Institute, Exxon Mobil and the Charles G. Koch Charitable Foundation.
Although the fact that Willie Soon is funded by corporations has long been known, the exact companies that he received funding from have been unknown until now. Nonetheless, this is one of the reasons why many scientists disregarded his theories about climate change.
Dr. Soon, who works with the Harvard-Smithsonian Centre for Astrophysics, has revealed that he applies to companies to sponsors his project. However, according to Greenpeace, Willie Soon, who is an aerospace engineer, creates his projects, which he describes as "deliverables" in his corporate correspondences, in exchange for money.
The organization also accuses Dr. Soon of failing to disclose the exact nature of the support he receives from corporate sponsors in up to 11 paper he published since 2008; thereby violating ethical guidelines.
While Dr. Willie Soon has declined to comment on the latest accusations, he has described himself as being "very poor."
Unlike other scientists who hold that the cause of global warming is related to the destruction of the ozone layer due to environmental pollution, Dr. Willie Soon has explained that global warming is being caused by variations in the energy of the sun.
