The recent
meme being
propagated by global warming alarmists is that they are under
siege by skeptics, physically at risk for their selfless service to
science, and to the world. So far as I can tell, the very serious
claim as advertised either speaks more about those
making facially
misleading assertions, or otherwise remains not fully
baked. That is, the specific bandied about is some Larouchie
outburst in Australia about “the British Empire”, or something,
according to the
source… though the recipient gravely
intones that, to our surprise, the US is the epicenter of threats
to climate scientists. That darn media, covering for
climate skeptics!
As with AAAS’s panic over our FOIAs — who wouldn’t see
them as akin to death threats? I mean, other than those who don’t
confuse death-by-transparency of a movement with the real thing —
this is clearly prompted out of desperation over our transparency
campaign (see, e.g., the successful effort to compel production of
University of Virginia’s “Hockey Stick” and other Michael Mann
records
here, and seeking the ethics file — if it exists — governing
James Hansen’s lucrative extracurriculars
here).
In execution, this is also rather pathetic.
More disturbing is the hypocrisy, including among the warming
industry’s
media cheerleaders. Remember, these people said nothing as the
(now-)supposed horrors of FOIA requests, and actual intimidation
and assault were visited on those who dared continue plying science
— that is, skeptical, critical analysis — to anthropogenic global
warming theory. I wrote
a book about it, it was so pervasive in the global warming
industry’s modus operandi (a book that also detailed what
was affirmed, not ‘revealed’, in ClimateGate, a year
before there was a ClimateGate). Not quite as pervasive as their
default plays of no time to discuss! and argumentum ad
Hitlerum. But far too common.
For example, consider the following excerpts, aptly
titled Red
Hot Lies: How Global Warming Alarmists Use Threats, Fraud and
Deception to Keep You Misinformed. (citations omitted; if
you want ‘em, buy the book).
C H A P T E R 6. Fear and Loathing: Alarmist Scare Tactics,
Demonization, and Threats
At various Kyoto Protocol negotiations that I have attended,
Greenpeace posted around the convention hall a “Field Guide to
Climate Criminals” with photographs of me and a few others on the
enemies list, so that the unwashed children of privilege flocking
to these meetings couldn’t miss us [NB: I admit to suffering only
stalkers, and having Greenpeace steal my trash each Sunday
night]…
Take this one from “environmental author” Mark Lynas who
describes his blog as “something of a debating hall about climate
change.”
I wonder what sentences judges might hand down at future
international criminal tribunals on those who will be partially but
directly responsible for millions of deaths from starvation, famine
and disease in decades ahead. I put this in a similar
moral category to Holocaust denial-except that this time the
Holocaust is yet to come, and we still have time to avoid it. Those
who try to ensure we don’t will one day have to answer for their
crimes.
David Roberts, writing for the popular green website
Grist went into more detail:
When we’ve finally gotten serious about global warming,
when the impacts are really hitting us and we’re in a
full worldwide scramble to minimize the damage, we
should have war crimes trials for these bastards-some
sort of climate Nuremberg. …
Academic and activist Ross Gelbspan (who for a long time
portrayed himself as a Pulitzer Prize winner, which he isn’t) has
attacked scientists (which he also is not) as “criminals against
humanity” for questioning his apocalyptic future scenarios. One
cowardly green-activist website calls a Harvard astrophysicist an
attempted mass murderer for discussing the Sun’s role in the
earth’s historical temperature record, and labels other dissenters
“felons.” …
Canada’s first PhD in climatology, Dr. Tim Ball, relates that
he’s received death threats for his apostasy [NB: Ball is also
being sued by two alarmists so, using their logic, there’s two more
death threats]. Yet the threats of an early grave (when not acted
upon) have big shoes to fill living up to the rhetoric of the
premier darlings of the alarmist industry. Consider the comments
from George Monbiot, star columnist for The Guardian, that
“every time someone dies as a result of floods in Bangladesh, an
airline executive should be dragged out of his office and drowned,”
and Gore advisor James Hansen, that “a certain shock treatment is
needed, but it would best be delivered with a two-by-four as a
solid whack to the head of politicians who remain oblivious to
fundamental physical facts.” Referring to these gems, climate
scientist Roger Pielke Jr. [NB: who also went public with a crystal
clear professional threat for his apostasy] opined:
Allusions to murder and beatings kind of puts a chill on
discussing options for climate policy, doesn’t it? Maybe that is
the point. It certainly makes me think.
… It is all too easy for leaders to incite people to
actual violence on issues that they are passionate about. Mr.
Monbiot and Dr. Hansen (and others, again on all sides) may not
have that outcome in mind as they write such statements, but if
they don’t watch out, that may be what they get.
The Wheels Come Off
Pielke is right. Noted skeptic, physics professor, and former
head of the Geological Museum at the University of Oslo Tom
Segalstad related to me an annoying series of pizzas delivered to
his home which, although he did not order them, did ensue once he
came out in criticism of the environmental alarmists. Oh, those
clever greens. Or, maybe not so clever. It seems that,
subsequently, the wheels of Segalstad’s automobile up and fell off
on two separate occasions, including once while his young daughter
was in the car. Apparently the lug nuts had been loosened. Of
course, his claim is anecdotal [NB: though the incidents later
resumed]. Sort of like the global warmists’ purported harbingers of
catastrophic climate change.
I then detailed the vastly more numerous professional threats,
or implicit admissions of having received or known of them (just
like all of those global warming alarmists whose funding and
advancement has suffered as a result! I kid.). How one terrified
citizen beat another to death for supposedly violating a
restriction on lawn watering (he was wrong). Of UK schoolchildren
widely exhibiting signs of having been terrorized by their
educators, and a teenager committed to psychiatric care in
Australia, refusing even water, having been convinced he was
contributing to an extant environmental catastrophe. All the
logical outcome of alarmist rhetoric.
This wretchedness comes with leading, or letting one’s self to
be led by, a cadre seeking a political agenda and/or to preserve a
gravy train, or otherwise their professional futures, all first
secured on exaggeration and ideological abuse of a scientific
credential, perpetuated by bullying, threats and often dishonesty.
Now claiming to be victimized. Please, cut your losses and stop
laboring to construct a moral high ground for yourselves.
