Heartland Institute Working to Fund Global Warming Skepticism, Foster Strategic Alliances, Leaked Documents Show

UPDATE: The Heartland Institute has responded to the document leaks on their Web site, saying that some of the documents were stolen, at least one was fake, and some may have been altered.

Read the full statement here. A message left Wednesday was not immediately returned.

A confidential memo and other leaked documents from the Heartland Institute, a Chicago-based think tank, reveal that the organization has plans to instill global warming skepticism in classrooms, pay more individuals to speak out against global warming, and boost its own media influence.

The confidential information was published on Tuesday by the DeSmogBlog, whose mission, per their Web site, is to clarify misinformation about climate science.

An anonymous donor calling him (or her)self 'Heartland Insider' has released the Heartland Institute's budget, fundraising plan, its Climate Strategy for 2012 and sundry other documents (all attached) that prove all of the worst allegations that have been levelled against the organization, the organization wrote on its Web site.

Heartland's goals for 2012 include getting more donations from the Charles Koch Foundation, which is cited as a 2011 donor, as well as other donors.

Our climate work is attractive to funders, especially our key Anonymous Donor (whose contribution dropped from $1,664,150 in 2010 to $979,000 in 2011 - about 20% of our total 2011 revenue), the memo states.

The Heartland memo also mentioned the organization's Global Warming Curriculum for K-12 Classrooms project, which will combat what the institute refers to as a bias among teachers and principals in favor of the alarmist perspective. To that effect, the institute is thinking of paying one of its experts, David Wojick, $100,000 to help with this.

His effort will focus on providing curriculum that shows that the topic of climate change is controversial and uncertain -- two key points that are effective at dissuading teachers from teaching science, the memo stated.

The memo also revealed just how much Heartland is paying certain people to deny global warming.

Our current budget includes funding for high-profile individuals who regularly and publicly counter the alarmist AGW message, the memo stated. At the moment, this funding goes primarily to Craig Idso ($11,600 per month), Fred Singer ($5,000 per month, plus expenses), Robert Carter ($1,667 per month), and a number of other individuals, but we will consider expanding it, if funding can be found.

The Heartland memo also stated the organization's desire to expand its media outreach by cultivating more neutral voices with big audiences. The memo cited New York Times science blogger Andrew C. Revkin as one possibility.

Heartland has previously slammed Revkin. The institute posted a 2009 Accuracy in Media story on him on their Web site in which he was accused of spinning the news while reporting on the ClimateGate e-mail scandal of 2009.

His body of work on the story further solidifies Revkin's reputation as a journalist with an agenda who can't be trusted to fairly report the facts about the environmental community, the 2009 article stated.

Revkin addressed the Heartland memo on his Twitter feed: Trying to figure out how @heartlandinst could call me 'noted ally of the alarmist camp' and want to cultivate me.