The ultra-conservative group’s climate conference showed how far it has fallen after an internet sting and a disastrous ad.

Peter Gleick's face was on mugs at the Heartland climate conference. World Economic Forum/Flickr

It was an odd choice of icon for the ultra-conservative Heartland Institute. But there he was in round glasses, beard, and halo of curls staring out from T-shirts and coffee mugs at their gathering of climate change contrarians this week, the scientist whose internet sting set Heartland on its current course of collapse.

Heartland’s seventh climate conference, which runs until Wednesday, was a much diminished event, compared to earlier lavish gatherings which spilled out over several floors of a hotel in New York’s Time Square, and attracted up to 800 followers.

The tables were set for 270 at this year’s gala, featuring the Czech president and climate contrarian Václav Klaus, and there were well over 100 no-shows. In a further sign of Heartland’s cash crunch, meals were not included in this year’s conference package.

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