According to Bloomberg News, the group was "founded to promote civil defense during the Cold War", and has been "transformed over the years into a forum" on "fringe-science topics" such as global warming denial.
ɐkˈoːɹdɪŋ tə blˈuːmɜːɡ nˈuːz, ðə ɡɹˈuːp wʌz "fˈaʊndᵻd tə pɹəmˈoʊt sˈɪvəl dᵻfˈɛns dˈʊɹɹɪŋ ðə kˈoʊld wˈɔːɹ", ænd hˈæzbiːn "tɹænsfˈɔːɹmd ˌoʊvɚ ðə jˈɪɹz ˌɪntʊ ɐ fˈoːɹəm" ˈɔn "fɹˈɪndʒsˈaɪəns tˈɑːpɪks" sˈʌtʃ ɐz ɡlˈoʊbəl wˈɔːɹmɪŋ dᵻnˈaɪəl.