It’s not easy to be a climate scientist. First, the media often misconstrues what you say; then some politicians accuse you of lying, manipulating research, and being complicit in a vast conspiracy; and, finally, if you’re in Australia, you’re threatened with death. According to The Canberra Times over 30 climate scientists and economists have been forced to take security measures after being threatened with violence, sexual assault, and death. In some cases, the families of researchers were also included in threats.
The death threats come during a heated political debate in Australia regarding putting a price on carbon, which Australian Prime Minister, Julia Gilliard, supports. A recent report by Australia’s Climate Commission, called The Critical Decade, recently warned that climate change could devastate Australia’s ecosystems and economy. The report was unequivocal on the science of climate change: “the atmosphere is warming, the ocean is warming, ice is being lost from glaciers and ice caps and sea levels are rising. The biological world is changing in response to a warming world.”
Climate scientists have had to change phone numbers, delete social media pages after they were defaced, change emails, and install security systems at home and work. Some leading climate scientists have even ‘gone into hiding’, moved to undisclosed and safer work locations.
Rallies have occurred in Australia both for and against putting a price on carbon.
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