Ross Gelbspan, an investigative journalist whose reporting on climate change exposed a campaign of disinformation by oil and gas lobbyists to sow doubt about global warming — a denialism that was embraced by Republican officials and, in some cases, by a credulous news media — passed away on January 27 at his home in Boston. He was 84. The cause was chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, his wife, Anne Gelbspan, said.
Mr. Gelbspan, who worked for The Philadelphia Bulletin, The Washington Post, The Village Voice, and The Boston Globe, had a diverse career that included reporting on dissidents in the Soviet Union and on F.B.I. harassment of domestic critics. His interest in the climate crisis stemmed from a sense of outrage that powerful interests were suppressing information necessary for democracy.
In a 1995 cover story for Harper’s Magazine titled “The Heat Is On,” which he later expanded into a book in 1997, Mr. Gelbspan exposed a group of scientists paid by coal and oil groups to deny the seriousness of global warming. He also brought to light a 1991 memo from the fossil fuel lobby calling for a strategy to cast doubt on global warming as a fact rather than a theory.
Throughout his career, Mr. Gelbspan was critical of the fossil fuel industry and the officials, mainly Republicans, who supported the denial of climate science. He also criticized the media for giving equal weight to climate skeptics and mainstream scientists, perpetuating false balance in their reporting.
Mr. Gelbspan’s work, including his books “The Heat Is On” (1997) and “Boiling Point” (2004), shed light on the tactics used by the oil and coal companies to promote denial of climate change. His investigative reporting and dedication to uncovering the truth about global warming left a lasting impact on the field of environmental journalism.
In addition to his work on climate change, Mr. Gelbspan wrote about secret federal harassment of critics of the Reagan administration’s policies in Central America. He received a Pulitzer Prize in 1984 for his work on a series about job discrimination against African Americans in the Boston area.
Mr. Gelbspan is survived by his wife, Anne, their daughters Thea and Johanna Gelbspan, and his sister, Jill Gelbspan. He will be remembered for his tireless efforts to expose the truth about climate change and hold powerful interests accountable for their actions.
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