Posted on 06/29/2011 9:11:22 AM PDT by Sub-Driver
Threats could have chilling effect on climate research, science group says By Andrew Restuccia - 06/29/11 10:39 AM ET
Personal attacks — including legal challenges and even death threats — on climate scientists have created a “hostile environment” that could result in a “chilling effect” on much-needed research, one of the country’s leading scientific organizations said this week.
The board of directors of the American Association for the Advancement of Science issued a rare statement Tuesday underscoring that it “vigorously opposes” personal attacks on climate scientists. It's the organization's strongest rebuke of efforts by conservative groups to criticize climate scientists.
“Reports of harassment, death threats, and legal challenges have created a hostile environment that inhibits the free exchange of scientific findings and ideas and makes it difficult for factual information and scientific analyses to reach policymakers and the public,” the statement says. “This both impedes the progress of science and interferes with the application of science to the solution of global problems.”
The statement comes a week after a conservative group sued NASA for records related to the outside advocacy and compensation of Dr. James Hansen, a prominent advocate for reducing the country’s greenhouse gas emissions. The same group, the American Tradition Institute, has also sought documents from the University of Virginia related to Michael Mann, another prominent climate scientist.
“The sharing of research data is vastly different from unreasonable, excessive Freedom of Information Act requests for personal information and voluminous data that are then used to harass and intimidate scientists,” AAAS, which bills itself as the world's largest scientific society, says. “The latter serve only as a distraction and make no constructive contribution to the public discourse.”
More broadly, the AAAS statement comes at a time when Republicans and some Democrats in Congress are working to block Environmental Protection Agency climate regulations, with some lawmakers raising questions about validity of climate science.
AAAS, which publishes the journal “Science,” warns that personal attacks on climate scientists could have a “chilling effect” on scientific research.
“[W]e are concerned that establishing a practice of aggressive inquiry into the professional histories of scientists whose findings may bear on policy in ways that some find unpalatable could well have a chilling effect on the willingness of scientists to conduct research that intersects with policy-relevant scientific questions,” the statement says.
It’s the second time the AAAS board has weighed in on personal attacks on climate scientists, according to the organization’s spokesman. The board issued a statement in May 2010 criticizing Virginia Attorney General Kenneth Cuccinelli’s investigation into Mann’s climate research. But Tuesday’s statement was written in much stronger language.
“chilling effect” as in global cooling?
That “chilling effect” must be why no detectable warming has occurred for 10 years.
With all the junk science that’s been foisted off on us, the preposterous conclusions, the out and out lies, the resulting demands that we go back to the stone age or die... these guys are lucky they haven’t been strung up.
If I were them, I’d crawl back under my rock and consider myself very lucky.
When I first read the headline, I thought GREAT!, someone in the scientific community is taking a stand in support of academic freedom for those who do research and publish articles that question global warming and that the cause of that warming is the activities of people.
Silly me.
I wonder what they call it when Al Gore uses the words “Global Warming Denier”?
Sounds like people are getting fed up with shams and scams....maybe just the net result of fraudulent science fed by liberal politics.
"unreasonable, excessive Freedom of Information Act requests for personal information and voluminous data that are then used to harass and intimidate scientists," You have GOT to be kidding me!
Oh and it "could have a 'chilling effect' on scientific research.". Uh, ya think? I'm pretty sure that's the point of a legitimate legal challenge.
Ping.
Presumably climate data is NOT SECRET STUFF.
On the other hand here's the board of directors of the American Association for the Advancement of Science advancing the notion that there can be too much in the way of FOIA requests for such data.
Actually, that data has no FOIA protection and should be made available for public review and use on a continuing basis ~ as it is produced.
The way to put an end to this idea is CUT OFF ALL GOVERNMENT FUNDING and GOVERNMENT TIES to the affected institutions and employees.
If they want to surround themselves with a privacy hedge, let them do it on their own ticket ~ not mine!
BTW, that also means TAKE AWAY THEIR PRIVILEGE TO MAIL AT THE PERIODICALS RATE. They can take that 6 pound paper rock of theirs they mail out at a cross-subsidized rate every month and pay First Class Mail rates!
Total fabrication. The threat is to the grants the so-called scientists are addicted to.
There should be a law against making death threats against climate scientists.
Oh wait, there is one.
I am surprised to learn that the AAAS is another leftist organization. At first I thought they were, at last, talking about the threats, attacks, and denied funding to genuine climate scientists who have legitimate questions for the "warmers."
Warmers are those who believe that climate change is caused by mankind, when there is no credible scientific evidence that supports such an outlandish claim.
But, instead, the AAAS is supporting "scientists" with a vested interest in man caused global warming.
I would have been impressed with the AAAS if it actually was an objective organization. Instead it is just another bunch of leftist hacks. Shame on them!
Is that a threat?
Investigate them!
We have also had the Eco-terrorists that have fire bombed car dealerships, logging companies and anyone they deem anti enviroment.
They have also tried to shut down (often successfully) industrial expansion and exploration for oil and mineral via law suits and phony endangered species suits.
Yes there is intimidation and terror threats and acts of terror happening. It is from the enviromentalists and global warming crowd, not our side.
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