Natural Resources Stewardship Project

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The Natural Resources Stewardship Project is a Canadian non-profit organization that presents itself as undertaking "a proactive grassroots campaign to counter the Kyoto Protocol and other greenhouse gas reduction schemes while promoting sensible climate change policy."

It is headed by global warming skeptic Tom Harris, formerly Ottawa director of the consulting firm High Park Group, and Tim Ball, formerly Professor of Geography at the University of Winnipeg. Harris has stated that the NRSP was set up on the initiative of the High Park Group:

"According to Harris, the idea behind the project came from Timothy Egan, President of the High Park Group, a Toronto-based lobby organization. Harris is the former head of its Ottawa office. The federal Lobbyists Registration System indicates that High Park's clients include the Canadian Electricity Association and the Canadian Gas Association."[1]

[edit] Criticism

The NRSP has been criticised on the basis that it is an industry-funded body which presents itself as a grassroots organization, an activity referred as Astroturfing.^[1] ^[2] Harris rejects this criticism but refuses to reveal the sources of NRSP funding.

A report in the Toronto Star on 2007-01-28 stated:^[3]

"Harris has not revealed who funds the Stewardship Project, launched in October 2005: 'I get donations ... from Canadians all across the country.' Two were for $10,000 each. 'Because of the tenor of the debate, the possibility of vicious attacks, (donors) don't want us to make our names public ... We don't want them to get 3 a.m. phone calls.'

The project is no orphan, though. According to Harris, the idea behind the project came from Timothy Egan, President of the High Park Group, a Toronto-based lobby organization. Harris is the former head of its Ottawa office. The federal Lobbyists Registration System indicates that High Park's clients include the Canadian Electricity Association and the Canadian Gas Association.

Harris argues that there's nothing wrong with industry funding. "For the most part, it doesn't support research," he adds, paying only for communications instead."

NRSP has been mentioned in at least two op-ed pieces. [2][3]

Don Trella, featured Opinions columnist of The Brown Daily Herald (Brown University's campus daily) mocked the NRSP in the introduction to his column on the media's portrayal of the global warming issue. [4]