A scientist and academic notorious for denying the existence climate change had most of his research work funded by the commercial energy industry in the U.S., according to recently released documents. 

Wei-Hock "Willie" Soon from the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics claims the sun's varying amounts and energy power are allegedly the main culprits behind global warming and not greenhouse emissions or man-made sources. 

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Documents allegedly show he accepted more than US$1.2 million from major fossil fuel companies over the last 10 years.

Documents indicate Soon received money from energy companies, including lobby groups and the Koch Brothers that own the second largest company in the U.S.  The Koch's are also the largest single funder of Soon's research work. Southern Company, a Koch-owned company, is also one of the biggest electricity providers in the U.S.

Soon presented his work and research denying climate change to conservative news programs and even testified before the U.S. Congress. His research, including published scientific papers, was slammed by critics as an obvious conflict of interest and violated ethical guidelines in many journals where Soon's work was published.

Environmental group Greenpeace revealed Soon's sources after securing these documents under the Freedom of Information Act. The documents it showed evidence Soon received monetary funding from the Southern Company, Exxon Mobil, American Petroleum Institute and a foundation under the management of the Koch brothers.

These documents include correspondence between Soon and major energy corporations that funded his work. Soon described these scientific papers as deliverables for a specific funding, said Kert Davies, a former Greenpeace researcher and executive director of the Climate Investigations Center.

Davies adds this is a manifestation of a continuing long-term campaign from specific fossil fuel companies to undermine the scientific consensus about climate change.

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