The Heartland Institute, an organization notorious for its virulent climate denial, opened its conference on climate change with a German rap on the “Climate Swindle” that claims “saving the climate means wiping out the humans,” according to an English translation.

The conference, which is being held in Las Vegas this week, featured a live performance by Austrian rapper Kilez More of “Klimawandel (Klimalüge, Klimaschwindel)” -- translation “Climate Change (Climate Lies, Climate Swindle)” -- alongside speakers who are largely industry-funded and have no scientific expertise. According to an English translation by the German climate denial blog NoTricksZone, the rap claims that hacked “Climategate” emails showed scientists “fudging the data” to fake warming, contrary to every independent investigation into the matter, in order to gain “more power, more money, more control, more global tax.” The chorus repeats that “climate change was not made by man,” shouting “nein!” Later, the rap really goes off the rails, claiming that climate change advocates believe that “there's only one way here to clean the planet / saving the climate means wiping out the humans.”

A July 7 Heartland Institute press release quoted More stating he's “honored” and “pleased the Heartland Institute liked the song and invited me to present it live on stage.”

You might have thought that after the Heartland Institute ran a billboard campaign in 2012 comparing those that accept climate science to the Unabomber -- later pulling the billboards but refusing to apologize -- that the media would have already stopped turning to the organization for analysis. However, The Washington Post, Bloomberg News, and Fox News all quoted Heartland Institute President Joseph Bast casting doubt on a 2013 scientific report by the United Nations' Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, without noting that he has no climate expertise and previously denied the science showing secondhand smoke can lead to cancer.

The conference in Las Vegas is also being co-sponsored by Hubbard Broadcasting Inc., which owns mainstream television and radio stations across the country. What would it take for the media to stop taking the "kings of unintentional climate-comedy" seriously?