The scientists say the threats have increased since the furore over leaked emails from the University of East Anglia began last November, and a sample of the hate mail sent in recent months and seen by the Guardian reveals the scale and vitriolic tone of the abuse.
The scientists revealed they have been told to "go gargle razor blades" and have been described as "Nazi climate murderers". Some emails have been sent to them without any attempt by the sender to disguise their identity. Even though the scientists have received advice from the FBI, the local police say they are not able to act due to the near-total tolerance of "freedom of speech" in the US.
The problem appears less severe in the UK but, Professor Phil Jones, the UEA scientist at the centre of the hacked email controversy, revealed in February he had been receiving two death threats a week and had contemplated suicide. "People said I should go and kill myself," he said. "They said that they knew where I lived. They were coming from all over the world." The third and final independent review into the issues raised by the hacked UEA emails is due to be published on Wednesday when Sir Muir Russell presents his panel's conclusions.
Professor Stephen Schneider, a climatologist based at Stanford University in California, whose name features in the UEA emails, says he has received "hundreds" of violently abusive emails since last November. The peak came in December during the Copenhagen climate change summit, he said, but the number has picked up again in recent days since he co-authored a scientific paper last month which showed that 97%-98% of climate scientists agree that mankind's carbon emissions are causing global temperatures to increase.
Schneider described his attackers as "cowards" and said he had observed an "immediate, noticeable rise" in emails whenever climate scientists were attacked by prominent right-wing US commentators, such as Glenn Beck and Rush Limbaugh.
"[The senders] are not courageous people," said Schneider. "Where are they getting their information from? They just listen to assertions made on blogs and rightwing talkshows. It's pathetic."
Schneider said the FBI had taken an interest earlier this year when his name appeared on a "death list" on a neo-Nazi website alongside other climate scientists with apparent Jewish ancestry. But, to date, no action has been taken.
"The effect on me has been tremendous," said Schneider. "Some of these people are mentally imbalanced. They are invariably gun-toting rightwingers. What do I do? Learn to shoot a Magnum? Wear a bullet-proof jacket? I have now had extra alarms fitted at my home and my address is unlisted. I get scared that we're now in a new Weimar republic where people are prepared to listen to what amounts to Hitlerian lies about climate scientists."
WTF? Is this the only response that the Right Wing radicals understand?
Vote for health care reform, receive death threats.
Talk about the Palin's marriage, receive death threats.
Dare to be black while occupying the White House, receive death threats.
Move next door to Sarah Palin in Wasilla, receive death threats.
And now dare to use science to explain what is happening to the climate, and receive death threats.
Do these people really believe they can change the facts by frightening scientists into not reporting them?
Of course many of these lunatics are the same people who think the earth is six thousand years old and will threaten to ambush anyone who tells them different.
ReplyDeleteIt is not hard to see how backward thinking theocracies catch hold. The climate change deniers who threaten people are in the same nut band wagon as the American Taliban (i.e., the modern day GOP, Palin supporters and people who see Jesus on the side of a wall after a rainstorm). All these people need are stones and they wouldn't have enough time in the day to rid the world of every thinking, intelligent being on the planet.
The sad thing is that these people actually think they know the facts; and the facts are climate change is a lie. The people at the top (oil execs etc) know the truth but deny it for $$. But they provide talking points to the population to get THEM to go along with it without the $$ at stake, so they tell these lies. Unfortunately alot of people actually believe it.
ReplyDeleteYou know until about a year ago I didn't realise climate change denial was a fairly common thing? At least in America, not here. I thought it was a small contingent of crazies like flat earthers but it's a significant percentage of Americans evidently.
Just in my twenty something years on earth I've noticed the climate becoming far more extreme. My adult years have seen natural disaster after natural disaster. Australia has been in drought for my entire memory.
Why is it a particular American thing to deny it? I read that it's only the US and south Africa with high proportions of deniers in all western democracies. Maybe South Africa has an all powerful oil industry too?
Isn't it odd that the people who are most likely to be(come) Nazis are the ones who usually describe their opponents as Nazis?
ReplyDelete"Do these people really believe they can change the facts by frightening scientists into not reporting them?"
ReplyDeleteYes Gryphen, they do believe they can change the facts, or better yet, they don't believe in any 'facts' except the ones they make up [which makes their beliefs nonfactual]! They only believe what the right-wing opinionators tell them or they make shit up and call those statements 'facts'. What are we supposed to do with people who live in a state of denial, who make up what they want others to believe are 'facts', and who are as ignorant as bugs but others listen to them and believe what they spout? My solution is to leave this country because I have come to despise the Roberts SCOTUS, the GOP and some Democratic LEGISLATURE for gridlock and some of the EXECUTIVE [Summers, Geithner] for their Goldman's association. If I could find my husband a job in Canada, France, Netherlands, we would be gone in a heartbeat! There is no hope or opportunity left here.
Yup, blame the messenger. Just like Palinbots attacking Alaskan posters during the Presidential campaign in the Anchorage Daily News.
ReplyDeleteChange the facts, like the Texas school board in rearranging history to suit their Christian sensibilities.
Change the facts in the GOP meme where you criticize a mayor of a town running for high office in one year and promote that executive strength in the next race.
Be outraged and incensed enough to be descendants of monkeys that you take your kids out of school.
Don't like a book about homosexuality? Try and have them removed from the library shelves.
If the persecution of Christianity was actually sanctioned by the ascendant majority, would they be cool with death threats for wearing the cross around their necks? For having a Jesus fish on their car? For praying at public events?
They've got control of things, arrogant and (LOL) "exceptional". . .the Palin demographic are nasty - but I still wouldn't take away their faith even if I had the power. Take that haters.
Wonder what the cult will do if their leader makes it to WH, and they find out they are left out in the cold?
ReplyDelete1. There has been a well-orchestrated campaign funded by the fossil fuel (and now biofuel) industries to cover up climate science, and to intimidate those who would present the very real danger posed to us from a changing climate.
ReplyDeleteIt is ongoing, and many of the players moved right over from the tobacco disinformation campaign.
These people are criminals because their actions threaten to leave us with an uninhabitable planet with the possible exception of very small areas.
The displacement of climate refugees is highly likely to lead to wars over scarce resources and cannot end well.
The top military sees this as the largest challenge they have ever faced. video:
http://climateprogress.org/2010/07/06/video-climate-change-and-national-security/
How is it that Beck, Palin and Limbaugh get away with what can only be described as "incitement to violence?"
ReplyDeleteIf they were people of color, their "freedom of speech" would not be tolerated. I say that as a white person. The right-wing is literally going to be getting away with murder if something isn't done to quash or pull-back their venom.
Even with Beck's sponsor-dollars dramatically down, with his ratings flushing down the toilet, he is still being given prime spots to spew his hate and ignorance. Someone is using that tool to further an agenda and manipulate the ignorant and fearful.
Freedom of speech should never, ever allow hate groups to publish people's personal information in any media.
I know I am preaching to the choir as it were, but a line is being crossed that will result in innocent blood being shed all because someone wanted money, fame and power at any cost.
I want to see the Mormon church come forth and denounce Beck. Limbaugh is just a greedy bastard with no saving grace. Palin is much the same though she pretends to be pious woman. All are so self-absorbed they don't care what happens to anyone else; they can mouth patriot slogans all they want, but they are destroying this country. It cannot survive on hate.
Wasn't this the same MO that Bush 43 ruled with during his term? Wasn't his "domestic doctrine" designed in part by Karl "Turd Blossom" Rove? As well, isn't Karl "Turd Blossom" Rove heavily invovled with all things popping up Palin?
ReplyDeleteIf so, no surprise.
I live below NCAR (the National Center for Atmospheric Research) in Boulder. I can remember after the so called "smoking gun" were publicized a small group of protesters posted at the bottom of the approach road to the lab complete with signs denying man-made climate change. Not surprising, they were all white, all male, all retirement age, and apparently very cranky about science. I used it as a lesson for my children about knee jerk reactions (and jerks in general).
ReplyDeleteActually, only Mormons (LDS) who have their endowments, gone on a mission for the church, get married in the temple, and have gone through the temple, have to and/or get to wear the 'Magic Underwear'.
ReplyDeleteI sort of doubt that glenduh has done any of those. I read that he and his wife were only baptized into the LDS religion, as spur of the moment thing, that they both decided to do? ? ?
You might say they are both: MINO's -- Mormons in Name Only!!
Just sayin'
Guess who used to kill people who did not belive in the same things they did. Yes, you guessed it, the NAZI's. It's so funny they throw that word around at us, but maybe it's because they want to transfer their crazy to you. If they want to kill all of us who belive in reality, then they'll have to kill about 75% of the popluation. Hitler tried and he failed. You would think by now they would be amitting that Hitler is their hero.
ReplyDeleteOOPS!! Sorry, I sent my last comment to the wrong place -- it should be in the 'Magic Mormon Underwear' site.
ReplyDeleteSorry about that --