The Dutchman Frits Böttcher is said to have been financed in part by Shell, ING and Bayer. The companies supposedly know nothing.

Protest in front of the Headquarters: the new report, Shell was for climate activists Feindblid photo: Eva HQ high quality consult/reuters

THE HAGUE/BERLIN, afp/taz | dozens of international companies such as the Oil company Shell and the Dutch airline KLM have, according to media reports, for years, the prominent Dutch climate change skeptics Frits Böttcher financially supported. In the on Saturday of investigative journalists, the platform for authentic journalism (PAJ) published "Shell Papers" is the name of it, Cooper did between 1989 and 1998, hundreds of thousands of euros from the company. The aim had been to sow doubt on man-made climate change.

the "Shell Papers" in the newspaper De Volkskrant and on the Dutch Investigative Portal "Follow the Money" were Published. Therefore, the late chemistry Professor Cooper received a total of more than a Million Dutch guilders (€450,000) of the company, which began to release climate change-sceptic article and opinion posts.

among Cooper most well-known supporters of the Dutch banking group ING the journalists, along with Shell and KLM. From Germany the industry to have been involved in group, ThyssenKrupp, as well as the chemical company Bayer.

Böttcher was in 1968, one of the founding members of the influential group of experts of the Club of Rome rich. The chemistry Professor at the University of Leiden was known to hold the greenhouse gas effect that leads to global warming, for a "myth". His estimation was, CO2 is even "good for the planet".

More of in the research mentioned companies said that the allegations do not check. The alleged financial assistance for the Cooper's back were too long. "That was 25, 30 years. We can't speculate about what exactly happened and in what context,“ said Shell. KLM indicated that there were "no indications" that the company had Böttcher supported 30 years ago; similarly, Bayer said. Also, ThyssenKrupp said it could not confirmed the allegations, the insured, but the company would not support their "climate change skeptic".