The Climate Denial has Ugly Side - Hate Mail to Scientists

Climate Change, Anthropocene, & Associated Issues

Date posted: 12/11/15

Katherine Bagley and Naveena Sadasivam report that as delegates from 195 countries work diligently in Paris to hash out an international deal to tackle climate change, their work relies on the huge consensus of climate science that shows the world is headed for a dangerous future if greenhouse gas emissions are not curtailed. But back home in the U.S., historically the biggest carbon emitter of all (along with China), climate science gets a much rockier reception. In fact, climate scientists find themselves and their work regularly under attack. Not only are there organized efforts like the Lamar Smith House science committee issuing subpoenas and striving to discredit scientists, but harassment and hate mail arrives every day via the Internet. Their work has found itself in the crosshairs of a political ideology that has an ugly side. InsideClimate News spoke to nearly a dozen climate scientists and communicators about the harassment they face. For them, death threats, sexist remarks, claims of fraud, bomb threats, letters laced with powdery substances, references to rape and Nazis have become almost standard. According to emails shared with ICN, messages range from derisive ( such as ...I hope your mental illness gets better) to downright threatening (YOU ARE GOING TO HANG SOON!). Katharine Hayhoe of Texas Tech University, who does outreach with evangelical Christians, says she can receive up to 200 emails and letters a day following a media appearance, telling her that she is a fraud and a liar, threatening her family and challenging her religious views. People have also shown up unannounced and agitated at her office to confront her about her scientific views. One email I received said something like, I hope your child sees your head in a basket after you have been guillotined for all the fraud you climate scientists have been committing, Hayhoe said. Ultimately, these attacks have not stymied the flow of new climate research.