Feds spent $700,000 on a climate change musical

It looks like the National Science Foundation has been handing out grants for some unorthodox research projects, according to House Republicans. This includes $700,000 in funding for a climate change musical.
House Science Committee Chairman Lamar Smith questioned White House science czar John Holdren in a Thursday hearing over whether or not the National Science Foundation (NSF) should have to justify its use of taxpayer dollars to fund projects. Smith pointed out some examples of questionable projects the NSF has funded.

• $700,000 on a climate change musical
• $15,000 to study fishing practices around Lake Victoria in Africa
• $340,000 to examine the “ecological consequences” of early human fires in New Zealand
• $200,000 for a three-year study of the Bronze Age around the Mediterranean
• $50,000 to survey archived 17th Century lawsuits in Peru
• $20,00 to look at the causes of stress in Bolivia

The $700,000 went to the play “The Great Immensity,” which is being put on by an investigative theater group called The Civilians. The play is set to premiere next month in New York City.

The play’s plot is summarized as follows: “Through her search, Phyllis uncovers a mysterious plot surrounding the upcoming international climate summit in Auckland. As the days count down to the Auckland Summit, Phyllis must decipher the plan and possibly stop it in time. With arresting projected film and video and a wide-ranging score of songs, The Great Immensity is a highly theatrical look into one of the most vital questions of our time: how can we change ourselves and our society in time to solve the enormous environmental challenges that confront us?”

The theater group also promotes major environmental groups on its website, linking to such organizations as Sierra Club, the Natural Resources Defense Council and 350.org.

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