For those readers who don’t live in Indiana, Ball State University is one of the state’s public universities–and lately, the source of some disquieting events.
Let me begin with a disclaimer: I only know what I read in the media, and I do understand how easy it is to get a distorted picture from what the media chooses to highlight. Still, there are some very troubling signs coming from Muncie, Indiana.
First, there was the Professor who reportedly championed creationism in a science class. The course itself was unobjectionable, once you got beyond the incredibly turgid description; “a seminar investigating physical reality and the boundaries of science for any hidden wisdom within this reality which may illuminate the central questions of the purpose of our existence and the meaning of life.” However, there were reports that the instructor was actively proselytizing and endorsing a Christian viewpoint rather than discussing scientific inquiries. Since Ball State is a public university, such endorsement–if verified– would violate the Establishment Clause.
The controversy made the news again when the professor was awarded tenure.
Eric Hedin, the associate professor of astronomy and physics at Ball State University who was investigated in 2014 for allegedly teaching intelligent design, has earned tenure. That’s despite claims that he was proselytizing in a science class and the university’s strong affirmation of the scientific consensus around evolution in light of the allegations.
Despite the concerns–and negative publicity– raised by the allegations, the university subsequently hired Guillermo Gonzalez, who had written a book in support of intelligent design, to teach astronomy and physics classes.
Intelligent design is religious doctrine; it is not science. Hiring two advocates of a doctrine overwhelmingly rejected by science to teach science is, at best, worrisome.
Then in January of this year, the Muncie Star-Press announced the sudden resignation of the University’s President.
Ball State University’s board of trustees accepted the mysterious, sudden and unexpected resignation of President Paul Ferguson during a special meeting at the university’s Indianapolis Center on Monday.
The suddenness of the resignation–and the Board’s unwillingness to offer any explanation for it–generated a number of damaging rumors, including rumors of University financial problems. To date–unless Google and I missed it–there has still been no explanation.
Now, we have news of a major grant to the University by the Koch Brothers and Papa John Schnatter of Papa John’s Pizza notoriety. In March, they donated $3.25 million to Ball State to create the John H. Schnatter Institute for Entrepreneurship and Free Enterprise.
A student group concerned that the grant will purchase influence over curriculum and the Presidential search issued the following statement:
We have reason to believe this will lead to the appointment of a Koch-connected official, as the situation at our university is frighteningly similar to what happened at FSU (Florida State University) where there was an open (presidential) search the same time they were setting up a Koch institute in their department of economics.
The students charge that the Kochs spend millions promoting discredited anti-environmental positions under the aegis of a free-market agenda in order to protect their vast interests in fossil fuels.
George Mason University, Florida State University, Troy University, all of these have been infiltrated by the Kochs. George Mason is now the number one climate-denying institution.
I work at a university, and I know how attractive big grants can be, even when there is no fiscal crisis. Most grants come with no strings attached, and support important research–my own university, like many others, has policies against taking funds unless the accompanying documentation protects academic independence. The stories from Ball State thus far, however, do not describe any conditions that Ball State has attached to its acceptance of the grant.
One would hope that establishment of an Institute on free enterprise would not operate to distort or even affect the teaching of science, including climate science, on the same campus.
Of course, a science department willing to hire creationists may be willing to “adjust”…..
The Kochs started this garbage at Florida State, and destroyed the credibility of a quality Economics department. The conditions that were attached to the money were explicit, required certain texts, and gave the Koch brothers control over which professors were hired. All because honest academic research shows the paucity of their simplistic coloring-book economic fantasies. OF course, one could also just look at Kansas, but that (rather ironically) is now supposed to be hidden behind a curtain and ignored, like a certain “wizard” from a certain story based in a certain State.
I was reading along, thinking “hmm, sounds like Koch brothers”. And lo, there they were. I’m curious what others say.
Kochs have a presence in 60 countries, not to mention all over the USA at every level. Look at what they did to Kansas. You can google Kochs and education, Kochs and technology, Koch and manufacturing and and a long list of other products/services. I finally quit researching them. It was bad for my health.
The only reason to keep the explanation for the “resignation” of the Ball State President is that there is something to hide. I imagine he was very much against the Koch/Schnatter donation and the strings that were attached. I can only guess that he had to be paid a very handsome sum of money to force him to stay quiet about what was going on.
The Kochs have infiltrated many universities to set up economics and law classes that teach their version of a ‘free market” and indoctrinate law students that will go on to even be judges that will rule in their favor when they violate EPA regs. Their history of damaging and polluting the environment, with almost no repercussions is sickening. Even worse is the extremely dangerous environments they put their employees in. Their mines and plants have a history of causing cancer and other deadly diseases to their employees.
They realized decades ago that they couldn’t stop the government from protecting citizens by owning the president of the U.S., so they turned their focus to owning members of state legislatures. ALEC has worked out very well for them. Their number one concern is to eliminate the EPA and any other agency that has any manner of control to stop them from polluting either the environment, their employees, or the people who live where they operate.
I believe there should be an investigation into what is going on since it is a public university that benefits from taxes. If this type of infiltration is going to be allowed, then Ball State should be removed from public status and forced to become a private university.
If anyone is interested in learning the background and history of what the Kochs and other uber-wealthy men have been doing for the past five decades, Dark Money by Jane Mayer is a book that is filled with facts from years of research into what they have all been doing.
Nancy: After it become a private university, they could rename it after “founders”. Koch Brothers U!
I am originally from the Anderson/Muncie area, so I have many lifelong friends that work at Ball State or are connected through family or friends. The predominate rumor was the former President was removed to make way for Mike Pence to become president of BSU if his re-election failed for governor, or if he chose to not run for re-election.
I know that rumors can be be pretty wild sometimes, but this one was made from all the right ingredients to be plausible. I believe the Kochs are looking for breeding grounds for their ideology here in Indiana.
Sorry for the typos!
David,
“The Kochs started this garbage at Florida State, and destroyed the credibility of a quality Economics department. The conditions that were attached to the money were explicit, required certain texts, and gave the Koch brothers control over which professors were hired.”
What’s happening at Ball State appears to have the same m.o. modus operandi as to what has been happening at Florida State University where they hired John Thrasher, a former State Senator as President in 2004. Starting in the early 90’s, Thrasher along with one or two others were the politicos responsible for cementing Jacksonville as Ground Zero for the dissemination of extreme right-wing hatred, principally, throughout the South and Midwest which is now so prevalent in Indiana. One of those “one or two others” John Delaney is now President of the University of North Florida in Jacksonville.
Yet one more thing to accelerate brain drain from Indiana.
Knowing nothing about this topic, I E-mailed my grandson who starts his senior year at BSU this month. Hope he jumps in here; he has a vested interest, has kept up with the current political “campaign” and is super intelligent.
I should remind everyone that President Delaney’s MAJOR legacy as Mayor of Jacksonville was a 2.7 billion dollar deficit in our Police and Fireman Pension Plan. Instead of fleeing to a foreign country, failed politicians in Florida NOW have the option of being appointed……president of a state university. That’s “terrific,” or maybe I should say “terrifying.”
These events at Ball State appear to be yet another chapter in the ageless battle between Knowledge and Ignorance, between Reason and Magical Thinking, between the Search for Truth and Hiding from Reality, between Rational Thought and Insanity. Are we up to the struggle?
I apologize for my continuing to promote Jacksonville as the most politically dangerous city in the U.S. or possibly, at this time in our planet’s history, the WORLD.
I publish Muncie Voice (www.muncievoice.com) which has covered BSU in depth, but one note of interest, the University Senate was prepared to issue a “vote of no confidence” for the Board of Trustees after they “released” Paul Ferguson from his presidents position. The Senate was called into a private meeting, replaced the president of the Senate, and withdrew their vote. The acting senate president called the BOT a “politburo”, or a communist executive committee.
The Koch’s don’t need to add special language guiding their donation because the folks at BSU are aligned with the mentality of the Koch’s. Don’t forget, Mike Hicks is a member of ALEC and Cecil Bohanan writes for Indiana Policy Review, all Koch funded programs.
Once the institute is built and they teach others about “free enterprise”, it will only get worse.
There’s an OLD white guy on the board of trustees–appointed, perhaps, because of his relationship to the Ball family. Maybe he’s the one who needs to go. BSU lost a President liked and respected by faculty and with a vision for the University’s future. No one on the Board has yet to say why he was asked to resign. It’s a sad state of affairs. Creationism–really? Intelligent Design in the science department–really? Teach them, but not as science.
I am disappointed in the direction being taken by one of Indiana’s universities.
If one wishes to sniff out a public university in Indiana with a profound conservative bias, one may have to hold her nose and say, “P-U!”
On the national level, we worry about Supreme Court appointments. On the state level we now have to worry about University Trustee appointments. It’s a sad day.
Todd Smekens – thanks for your input on this issue.
I personally believe ALEC to be Organized Crime that has been legalized.
Todd Smekens, do you think there was any credibility to the Pence rumor ? It scares me to think that he would be considered, and I am pretty sure he will be out of a job on November 9th.
I shared your post with my brother, a BSU grad, who shared this: “Yes. I am familiar with what is happening at Ball State and a growing number of other public and private colleges and Universities. A friend of ours teaches at Mount St. Mary’s in Frederick Maryland and its economics department has been taken over through strings attached grant funding to teach free market capitalism BS.
Koch is doing this around the country in over 300 different colleges. George Mason University in NOVA took $60M+ in funding from the Kochs.”
“Intelligent design is religious doctrine; it is not science. Hiring two advocates of a doctrine overwhelmingly rejected by science to teach science is, at best, worrisome.”
Sheila, I read once that science can explain religious beliefs and doctrines, but religion does not explain science. When I learn of fascinating developments and discoveries in genetics, micro biology, physics, astrology… I am inclined to think, hmm, so what if we found a habitable planet thousands of light years away in this very vast and barely explored universe? Well we might just send some science which would later be called intelligent design.
All very disturbing. Even more disturbing is that Ball State is definitely NOT the only public university in Indiana accepting Koch money.
True, but the way in which that money flows is important. At SPEA, one of my colleague’s research is funded by the Kochs, but SPEA’s administration insists that the school itself does not receive any money from that arrangement. There are competing considerations involved. I would hesitate to prohibit an individual professor (as opposed to a university or school within that university) from accepting Koch support (no matter how unwise I think that decision is). Despite conservative accusations, universities do not hire only liberal professors and discriminate against conservative ones. Academic freedom means that conservative scholars have the right to champion ideas with which many of us strongly disagree, and the right to accept funding from those whose ideas/interests they advance. Institutions, on the other hand, must take care not to be–or seem–co-opted.
The Koch agenda is scary, no doubt.
But intelligence design, not so much. Universities are just the right place for such debate. Most of the world’s population believes humans were created.
In my experience, the universities are overwhelmingly occupied by liberal statists who have no tolerance for viewpoints other than their own. Our universities have devolved into group-think tanks where dissent is met with oppression and censorship. If you don’t like the administrative approach to Ball State or other universities, don’t attend the school and feel free to voice your opposition. I appreciate real diversity, not the pigmentation / gender nonsense promoted by the modern academy. I can handle ideas other than my own and not be hurt or offended. If you can’t handle real discourse do not pretend to be a reasonable academic.
I am not sure if you read this article, but I was not comfortable with the way BSU would not even answer questions from students – what are they hiding and shutting the door so forcefully…. what are the reasons for not answering a few questions presented by concern students? http://www.thestarpress.com/story/news/local/2016/07/24/bsu-silences-koch-critics-meeting/87439432/
As Sheila noted, “I work at a university, and I know how attractive big grants can be, even when there is no fiscal crisis.”
Imagine the attraction, I call it temptation, of a $5M to $10M grant being offered to a cash-strapped university! Some university trustees see a massive grant as manna from heaven, more skeptical trustees see a massive grant as selling the university’s soul to the devil.
A skeptic by temperament, I’m thinking the Koch Bros Foundation gets its toe in the university door initially by offering a relatively small grant, something not likely to raise eyebrows, something in the low six-figure range. If that goes well, then gradually offer larger and larger grants. Koch does not suddenly take over a large university, but rather, Koch slowly permeates the university culture.
Early in 2016, I remember reading that a relatively small Koch Bros Foundation grant ($210K) was awarded to IUPUI, small enough to raise few eyebrows but large enough to raise the ire of a few students. A toe in the university door or not? Who knows? Worth watching. http://wfhb.org/news/iu-school-accepts-more-koch-brothers-cash/
In Jacksonville (naturally, except for me) you have to be in an alternative universe…… either from a serious neurosis or, even better still, a touch of schzophrenia to have any understanding whatsoever of this M*$%^@F*%^ing place.
Since Jacksonville is “America’s City of the Future” Maybe, Sheila has spoiled everyone with her seemingly archaic idea of “Freedom of Speech.”
A good example would be the July 20-26 edition of Folio “Northeast Florida’s Independent Voice Since 1987” Remember that’s three years after George Orwell’s very accurate “1984.”
The lead article is “CHAMBLIN’S turns 40.” CHAMBLIN’S is a chain of used bookstores owned by my friend, Ron. It’s was ranked 4th in the U.S. by Huffington Post. The story is about Ron’s life after starting the bookstore in 1976.
I’ve been written up before but this is about as close to the truth as I have ever been portrayed. But that’s not saying very much. At least in this case, I’m portrayed as a grateful “nut case.”
From Folio: “When John Evans first walked into Chamblin’s Uptown, he found a six-volume audio set of Mark Twain’s work and asked Ron Chamblin the cost. Chamblin told him he could take it home for free and bring it back when he was finished. Chamblin had no way of knowing-except perhaps from his own intuition-that Evans was out of work and had little money. Soon Chamblin offered Evans a place in his Fleming Island home.”
[Now comes my big chance]
“At a time, Marv Kramer says, when he “really needed a friend” and his law practice and marriage both lay in shambles, Chamblin helped him back on his feet. Kramer had left Dallas to come back homeless to his hometown of Jacksonville
“Without Ron,” Kramer says, “I don’t think I could’ve gone on. My life had hit the bottom.”
“For much of the last decade, Chamblin has resided in an apartment behind Chamblin’s Uptown, while several formerly homeless employees called his new riverfront mansion home”
The only thing in the above artice that is in the right context is that Ron is a friend, but I was also his friend when he needed one. Every sentence is out of context. Ron has a beautiful “Southern Mansion” on the shores of the St. Johns River. I was staying at a friends house and Ron offered me a place to stay and write. It was one of the most prestine places in North Florida. Two bedrooms with a balcony overlooking the river with massive oak trees with moss hanging down framing a magnificent view of the river with an eagle in one of the trees and Ospry’s roaming about. I didn’t stay for “free.” Two other employees of Ron were also staying there. No one was homeless.
Neither my marriage or law practice were in “shambles” when I came back to Jacksonville. Ron and I really didn’t get together until I was back for over twenty years. All of the Folio article was taken from a book that just came out at the same time as the article in Folio our so-called alternative newpaper. It was entitled: “We Are All Used Books: 70 Conversations with Ron Chamblin” self-published by Tim Gilmore, a local author who has published 13 books such as “Devil in the Baptist Church,” and “Central Georgia Schzophrenia.” The above few sentences are all that were published in the Folio article concerning me.
Gilmore has over 7 pages covering his telephonic conversation with me. All but a few sentences were left out of the Folio article. They were the ones if taken out of context could make look bad and demean my reputation. The article in Folio must have come from Gilmore’s book.
An example of what was left out of the Folio story…. page 116: “A young man working in the County Solicitor’s Office, the precursor to the District Attorney’s Marv saw county commissioner’s indicted, and says, ” I knew the system. I knew the men who created the system and then left it to the next generation who didn’t know the extent of the racism of the men who created it.”
“Marv says the solicitor’s office gave him a police brutality case with very clear[ little] evidence against the the defendant. [The jailer had witnessed the arresting officers pour liquor on him] and told him to non pros. He was low on the totem pole, expected to do what he was told. He didn’t.”
“Marv tells me first that the future mayor, Hans Tanzler was the judge in his court.”
“In place of non prosequitur, Marv says he asked for dismissal, which meant the cops accused of police brutality would be suspended pending the outcome of an internal investigation. So it was Marv says, that two men [police officers] charged him as he walked through the courthouse.”
“I swung my arm once, “Marv tells me, “and grabbed them both by their ties and hung them up against the wall.” [delete “up against the wall”]
“From there, the story ratches up quickly. The warnings and threats begin immediately, Marv says. The authorities [my father and the sheriff] tell him to get out of town. He sends his wife on a plane [she left after taliking with my mother-in-law], but sticks around. Tanzler crosses his path, can’t believe what Marv has done [both Tanzler and my father played basketball at the University of Florida], and Marv asks him if he’s ever thought of running for mayor. Not long thereafter [only after putting together a campaign entitled Hans Tanzler for Mayor: A Coup for Intergrity….helped by the fact that a former law school classmate was a reporter for the local paper] Marv leaves for Dallas and Hans Tanzler [eventually] becomes mayor of Jacksonville.”
My interview was from a telephone call from Tim to me. I was surprised to receive his phone call. The phone call lasted probably twenty minutes in total. It was all about Ron. At the end Tim asked me what has been going on with me. I told it to him in about 10 minutes. He didn’t tell me he was writing a book or ever asked me to check what he was going to write about which could have only been a rought transcription of what I said. However, he did get the “gist” into print in his book. That’s not the case in the FOLIO ARTICLE.
To be honest, the racist oligarchy is scared. My website: http://www.EthicalForum.net has been online since the Fall of last year. They see the writing on the wall. I give’em credit for that. Yesterday, I secured four URL’s: StandUpToPower, com., net., org. and info along with the necessary webhosting.
I dunno. BSU must have “customers” (students, parents, board members, donors, etc.) to whom academic freedom matters more than tuppence.
In Indiana I have little or no doubt that under that “freedom” some of those customers are demanding that pseudoscientific religion be available and be presented formally to students who sign up for it.
My question would be are all students required to select some pseudoscience courses as requirement for their degrees? To me, THAT would be an unacceptable stretch. But, again, this is Indiana.
Greetings Laura. I believe that an Ancient Spider created the world and all the creatures on it. That is about the same level of thinking as intelligent design, in fact it is probably better!
Irvin BAA 🙂
From my years working in and around Indiana State government, it was always clear that there was a close association between Indiana Republicans and Ball State, but I had no idea that it had gone this far.
And yes, Teresa, I too guessed the ending to Sheila’s narrative before she got there.
Jason Sipe. You have a right to your own opinion, but not a right to choose your facts.
There is a economics professor at IPFW with very strong ties to the Koch brothers, ex.: ties to the following in his Vita: Membership in the Stavros Center for Economics Education at Florida State University. He is also listed as actively involved with the Liberty Fund (another key player in regressive policies, headquartered in Indianapolis along with the Friedman Foundation for Educational Choice) writer for the Indiana Policy Review, ran against Sen Long in the Republican Primary, seems to align with Rep. Stutzman, etc., etc.
Sheila is right to support the ability of members of the academy who teach a conservative viewpoint, but I wonder who is really paying him.
All I’ve been trying to say for the past year on Sheila’s Blog is that the world would have been a lot better off in the 20’s and 30’s if it would have paid as much attention to Munich as it did to Berlin.
Ball and Florida State are just two examples of how money buys economics and other departments by the Kochs and others. Jane Mayer in her book “Dark Money” tells the story. I recommend that all readers of this piece read that book. The Kochs’ and others’ libertarian tentacles run far beyond influencing curriculum with their “free market” pretense, as readers will see. Libertarians are domestic ISIS types and as I often blog, more dangerous to our democracy than those in the Near East.
Gee, that’s funny. Thought all the conservatives said you couldn’t ‘fix’ education by throwing money at it. BTW, IU is number 10 on money accepted from the Koch brothers. But I’m sure there are no strings attached…..
I agree with commenters who suggest reading “Dark Money” by Jane Mayer to gain insight into how pervasive the “Kochtopus” is in all levels of the academic, financial, religious and political of our country. The Koch brothers are not the only billionaires subverting our government and the academy. They have strong, extremely wealthy and powerful allies. The book is well-documented and a frightening warning for us all.
“Eric Hedin, the associate professor of astronomy and physics at Ball State University who was investigated in 2014 for allegedly teaching intelligent design, has earned tenure. That’s despite claims that he was proselytizing in a science class and the university’s strong affirmation of the scientific consensus around evolution in light of the allegations.”
Here’s the simple truth. It is not possible to teach astronomy and physics and intelligent design. It’s simply not possible that both are true.
I don’t know but suspect that the Kochs know that and simply don’t care.
What they do care about is the business daddy gave them which has let them live the most lavish of lives without a single minute of honest work, the continuity of which absolutely depends on maintaining the status quo on fossil fuels.
Their real agenda is denying the same physics that knows anthropogenic global warming.
Teaching that ignorance of what is known is equal to knowing what is known is not a belief, it is a business plan.
To me that makes the Koch Bros the equivalent of Trumpence in every way except that they have virtually unlimited money to invest while Trump can’t afford that so he invests what he does have, unlimited celebrity.
Of course the consequences of both the Kochs and Trumpence’s business plans to the world and all life in it are catastrophic. But by the time that comes due they’ll be dead.
That by definition is sociopathic.
What is extremely disappointing is that while much of the public is well aware of that, some institutions of higher learning are not.
We’ve had discussions here about the problem of when churches become businesses they lose their right to exist off the largess of the tax payer. Apparently public education is wandering down the same path.
One would have to be sociopathic not to care about that.
Years ago there was concern expressed that the Public Broadcasting System (PBS) was turning into the Petroleum Broadcasting System with all the grants pouring into PBS by the Oil Companies.
If I back away from this we have our politicians controlling the Universities with funding and also who receives appointments. Mitch Daniels managed to stack the deck with his own appointees at Purdue and then they selected him to run it. Not a big surprise that Creation Science and Intelligent Design will slip in.
I do hope some Reporter will ask Pence if he believes in Evolution, I would love to hear his answer.
Gerald, “Libertarians are domestic ISIS types and as I often blog, more dangerous to our democracy than those in the Near East.”
There’s just no question of this. Yet as every conceivable bogie man was sent out by the RNC to keep the country literally scared out of their wits, not a mention of this one, the worst one.
The Koch brothers initially fund a “school” or department. They then bring in students by offering very attractive grants to study the classes they set up. It is an amazing way to get students to join in their efforts.
Far too many young students are in no position to pass up a free college education and willingly jump at the opportunity?
That was supposed to say unwittingly jump at the opportunity
Pete. Can’t teach astronomy and intelligent design at the same time? I had a boss who belonged to one of the barn religions who had a degree in astronomy. When questioned about his beliefs as opposed to his education he told me that he believed that God had really made the world in seven days but just made it look like it took longer in order to test man’s faith.
This story about Vincennes Univ just arrived in my mailbox – http://www.insideindianabusiness.com/story/32592763/vincennes-university-details-underground-mining-facility
It claims that funding came from the state. Did our taxes actually completely fund an underground mining center to train coal miners? Even though coal mining jobs are being reduced?
“George Mason is now the number one climate-denying institution.”
No one is denying “climate.” In fact, no one is denying “climate change” either. Climate has been changing for the 4.5 billion years of the planet. The “denial” is that man is causing dangerous global warming. Many scientists dispute that.
Paul, please name the “many scientists” whom you say are disputing that climate change is being caused by human? Along with names, could you please include where they work?
Thank you.
I’m personally more worried about the influence of all those who are being arrested for child porn that work at BSU.
Theresa, concerning your comment on the creationist astronomer, I was channel surfing and came across some Bible Thumper expounding the same line. This Thumper’s line was seven days and a young earth was correct. The Devil set traps for us like science to rob us of our faith in the bible or so he said.
At least from what I have read science has concluded there was a Big Bang. Bible Thumper’s cannot except this since they must also accept evolution as the vehicle for change.
Nancy; I will check back frequently to see if Paul responds your request. He obviously doesn’t keep up with political news or politicians and has forgotten when the issue of “global warming” was referred to as “destroying the environment” when we all seemed to understand and agree with that terminology.
“No one is denying “climate.” In fact, no one is denying “climate change” either. Climate has been changing for the 4.5 billion years of the planet. The “denial” is that man is causing dangerous global warming. Many scientists dispute that.”
To those who comment that there is a right to have an opinion, however the facts speak for themselves: The fact is the grant was made to help fund the Entrepreneurship School, the opinion is that there are strings attached. I yet to have anyone validate that, or yet what the strings are. As Sheila stated in her column, she is relying on the media (primarily the Indianapolis Star and the BSU newspaper) as her source of information. Reliable?
Paul is in denial that humans could alter the earth and it’s environment. There is a long list of mammals that went extinct around the time humans arrived in Asia, the America’s and Australia. The American Buffalo nearly went extinct because of wanton killing by humans. The Passenger Pigeon did go extinct because of the same wanton killing and habitat destruction.
The automotive trade journal Ward’s Auto had estimated that the total crossed 1 billion vehicles sometime during 2010. A billion more vehicles than existed in the 1880’s. Plus add in all the vehicles that have been made since Henry Ford started mass production. Add in all the Aircraft today that did not exist in the year 1900, and all those ever produced.
All the pollution the internal combustion engine has generated has went into our atmosphere, water and ground. I gather in the world according to Paul this pollution has no effect. Check out – https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2016/aug/02/environment-climate-change-records-broken-international-report