Julian Morris

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Julian Morris was co-director, with Roger Bate, of the environment and technology programme of the rightwing think tank, the Institute of Economic Affairs until 2001. He is now a member of its academic advisory board.[1] Morris has been director of the International Policy Network (IPN) since 2001.[2] Bate was also a co-director at the IPN for a time.[3]

Global Warming Sceptic

In 1994 Morris and Bate wrote a book entitled Global Warming: Apocalypse of Hot Air, which disputed the likelihood of global warming.[4] This was followed in 1997 with a book edited by Morris entitled Climate Change: Challenging the Conventional Wisdom.[5] Both books were published by the Institute of Economic Affairs.

Morris is also among the contributors to an IPN book which attacks the Kyoto protocol. It was edited by Kendra Okonski, IPN's communications director.[6] The book's other contributors include several who connect to Morris and who have been active in the GM debate - Martin Livermore, Barun Mitra and Philip Stott.[7]

Downplaying Environmental Risks

Morris has also coedited a book with Okonski entitled Environment & Health: Myths & Realities which, according to the IPN's website, illustrates that:

  • On balance synthetic pesticides are beneficial to humanity...
  • The effects of “gender-bending” chemicals -– endocrine disruptors –- on humans have not been established by science, but scientific evidence refuting the idea has been under-reported by the media.
  • Dietary nitrates (caused by agricultural fertiliser run-off) pose no threat to human health...
  • Expenditures to prevent low doses of radiation are unnecessary and a wasteful use of society’s resources, especially since natural radiation levels are far higher and cause no human health problems.
  • Fears over dioxin poisoning are now totally unjustified...
  • Overall human mortality from heat waves caused by global warming is not likely to increase...
  • The precautionary principle reflects a general “chemo-phobia” in society...[8]

Anti-Precautionary Principle

Morris argues that "The precautionary principle has become an excuse for imposing arbitrary regulations."[9] He has campaigned against the precautionary principle as can be seen in the following publications:[10]

  • Morris, J. (2002), ‘The Relationship between Risk Assessment and the Precautionary Principle,’ Toxicology, Vols. 181-182, pp. 127-130.
  • Morris, J. (2002) ‘The Precautionary Principle and Biotechnology,’ Int. J. Biotechnology, Vol 4, No. 1, pp. 46-61.
  • Morris, J. (ed.) (2000), Rethinking Risk and the Precautionary Principle, Oxford: Butterworth- Heinemann

Anti-Organic Food

Morris has been a key contributor to several BBC programmes raising questions about organic food. One of these programmes ('Counterblast', BBC 2, 31 Jan 2000) was presented by Roger Bate in his then role as director of the European Science and Environment Forum (ESEF). As far as viewers knew, Morris had no connection with ESEF, but an ESEF domain inquiry prior to the website's removal revealed that Morris was the site's administrative contact.[11]

This suggests ESEF may, like the IEA's Environment Unit, have been synonymous with Bate and Morris. Bate and Morris also co-edited a book, Fearing Food: Risk, Health and the Environment,[12] to which Dennis Avery of the Hudson Institute contributed. Avery has been at the heart of the anti-organic campaign. Bate and Morris appear unembarrassed by the dubious nature of Avery's claims, repeating them in the BBC programmes they contributed to and using them in a publicity stunt to launch their book.[13]

The book claimed the following were myths:

  • Pesticides are bad for the environment and bad for human health.
  • Antibiotic resistance in animals is spreading to humans.
  • Nitrate fertilizers are a threat to human health.
  • Genetically modified organisms (GMOs) are bad for the environment and bad for our health.
  • Instances of food poisoning would be reduced if we had more regulations
  • Subsidies are needed in order to ensure that food and fish are produced in environmentally sound ways.
  • Packaging and transporting food is environmentally unfriendly.[14]

Notes

  1. ↑ "Julian Morris", International Policy Network, accessed 5 February 2009.
  2. ↑ Ibid
  3. ↑ "About International Policy Network", International Policy Network, 5 December 2002.
  4. ↑ R. Bate and J. Morris, eds. Global Warming: Apocalypse of Hot Air, London: Institute of Economic Affairs, 1994.
  5. ↑ J. Morris, ed. Climate Change: Challenging the Conventional Wisdom, London: Institute of Economic Affairs, 1997.
  6. ↑ "Kendra Okonski", International Policy Network, accessed 5 February 2009.
  7. ↑ Kendra Okonski, ed., "Adapt or Die: The science, politics and economics of climate change", International Policy Network, 1st December 2003, accessed 5 February 2009.
  8. ↑ "New book debunks environment, health myths", International Policy Network, 21 June 2004, accessed 6 February 2009.
  9. ↑ J. Morris, ed. Rethinking Risk and the Precautionary Principle, Oxford: Butterworth- Heinemann, 2000, p. viii.
  10. ↑ "Julian Morris", International Policy Network, accessed 5 February 2009.
  11. ↑ "Pro-GM scientists and the right", Norfolk Genetic Information Network, accessed 5 February 2009.
  12. ↑ J. Morris and R. Bate, eds., Fearing Food: Risk, Health and the Environment, Oxford: Butterworth-Heinemann, 1999.
  13. ↑ "Big Tobacco Behind Euro Anti-Organic Campaign", Norfolk Genetic Information Network, accessed 5 February 2009.
  14. ↑ J. Morris and R. Bate, eds., Fearing Food: Risk, Health and the Environment, Oxford: Butterworth-Heinemann, 1999, back cover.
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