If you spend $100 on r&d, you've gotten $100 in r&d.
You spend $100 on convincing people that they need to spend money on r&d, you're $100 can contribute far more than $100 to overall movement towards an end to climate change.
Is this what is going to happen with that money? I don't know. However, it's possible that this is still a good move even though it isn't going directly to research.