The Telegraph is reporting that some global warming skeptics have been receiving death threats as a result of their views:
Scientists who questioned mankind's impact on climate change have received death threats and claim to have been shunned by the scientific community.
They say the debate on global warming has been "hijacked" by a powerful alliance of politicians, scientists and environmentalists who have stifled all questioning about the true environmental impact of carbon dioxide emissions.
Timothy Ball, a former climatology professor at the University of Winnipeg in Canada, has received five deaths threats by email since raising concerns about the degree to which man was affecting climate change.
One of the emails warned that, if he continued to speak out, he would not live to see further global warming.
Of course, this is not the way responsible people settle scientific disputes, and I think it's very unlikely that global warming proponents in the scientific community have been involved in the death threats. The problem is that the issues have been oversimplified, emotionalized, and propagandized for public consumption. When this sort of thing happens, it gives crackpots with great steaming loads of free-floating aggression something to focus on. Rhetorical excess is not a benign or even a neutral exercise. Propaganda, however well intentioned, can get people killed, and it's not just the nuts who are responsible.
I'm getting killed at work, since it's spring break, but i thought this article might interest you.
http://www.americanthinker.com/2007/02/numerical_models_integrated_ci.html
Posted by: Rob B. | March 12, 2007 at 10:40 AM
http://www.americanthinker.com
/2007/02/numerical_models_integrated
_ci.html
Here, I threw two returns in to get the link to post. Sorry.
Posted by: Rob B. | March 12, 2007 at 10:41 AM
Well, since global-warming deniers are putting the WORLD AT RISK, the death threats are appropriate.
Or something like that.
Posted by: Carin | March 12, 2007 at 11:45 AM
I hope that was a snark, Carin.
The whole argument has been over-politicized. To think that the miniscule amounts of CO2 (compared to natural emissions) that man has thrown into the atmosphere are the sole source of global warming (small letters used intentionally) is pure chutzpah. Man isn't that important to the life and survival of this planet. No species is.
To ignore our ignorance of the terribly complex system and try to say we "know" what makes it tick is just plain foolish.
And just why do those who claim we are the ones creating all the heat dismiss the solar fluctuations which have occurred/are occurring? Fluctuations which hard evidence proves have caused temperatures to rise and fall in the past.
Those who scream and shout to incite the mob are just as guilty of the ensuing violence as those wielding the torches and pitch forks.
Posted by: joated | March 12, 2007 at 01:52 PM
Rob, great article. Thanks for the link.
Posted by: joated | March 12, 2007 at 01:59 PM
Me? Snark?
Does the Pope wear a funny hat?**
**Acceptable joke for a papist to make.
Posted by: Carin-Papist | March 12, 2007 at 02:12 PM
Do Baptist like softball and fried chicken? ***
Suitable joke for Southern Baptist and anyone that has evey had to play our chicken eating teams at softball
Posted by: Rob B. | March 12, 2007 at 04:16 PM
Cute guys. ;-)
Posted by: joated | March 12, 2007 at 04:58 PM
"Great Steaming Loads of Free-Floating Aggression" was the title of my first album.
Posted by: CraigC | March 13, 2007 at 10:28 AM