Tuesday, June 07, 2011



Climate change: The deniers' new tactic

Over the Tasman, the Australian government looks like it is finally going to introduce a price on carbon. Meanwhile, Australia's deniers have hit upon a new tactic: death threats:

Australia's leading climate change scientists are being targeted by a vicious, unrelenting email campaign that has resulted in police investigations of death threats.

The Australian National University has confirmed it moved several high-profile climate scientists, economists and policy researchers into more secure buildings, following explicit threats to their personal safety.

Scientists at universities in NSW and Queensland have told of being moved to high security buildings, where their names do not appear on staff directory lists or on their office door.

[...]

More than 30 researchers across Australia ranging from ecologists and environmental policy experts to meteorologists and atmospheric physicists told The Canberra Times they are receiving a stream of abusive emails threatening violence, sexual assault, public smear campaigns and attacks on family members.

So, this is what its come down to: the deniers have conclusively lost the argument, they can't defeat the science, so they resort to intimidation and thuggery in an attempt to silence their opposition. That's not a scientific argument; in fact, its the exact opposite of science. But so, I guess, is climate change denial...