I thought I’d share this update from the Climate Science Legal Defense Fund.<\/p>\n
We have much to be grateful for at CSLDF \u2013 this year, we became an independent 501(c)(3) organization, provided legal services to 30+ researchers, and took on some of the worst groups attacking climate scientists<\/strong>. Thank you for your support! We truly couldn\u2019t have done it without you. I thought I’d share this update from the Climate Science Legal Defense Fund. We have much to be grateful for at CSLDF \u2013 this year, we became an independent 501(c)(3) organization, provided legal services to 30+ researchers, and took on some of the worst groups attacking climate scientists. Thank you for your support! We truly … Continue reading Climate Science Legal Defense<\/span>
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\nUnfortunately, assaults on climate scientists continue. Most notably, Rep. Lamar Smith (R-TX) has launched an investigation of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), claiming that NOAA \u201calters data to get the politically correct results they want.\u201d<\/a> Rep. Smith has targeted a NOAA study, and the NOAA scientists behind the study<\/strong>, which found that recent temperature increases were greater than earlier studies indicated \u2013 contradicting Rep. Smith\u2019s belief that global warming has \u201cpaused.\u201d NOAA provided Rep. Smith with much of the information he sought, but it has rightfully refused to hand over scientists\u2019 private emails because protecting internal deliberations is essential for fostering free scientific discourse. Rep. Smith has not responded well. For more on this, please read our post at the Columbia Climate Law blog<\/a>.
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\nSimilarly, the fossil-fuel industry funded<\/a> Competitive Enterprise Institute filed a lawsuit this month<\/a>, claiming that open records laws give them the right to access the personal correspondence<\/strong> of George Mason University professor Dr. Ed Maibach, an expert in climate change communications. We fully expect that this lawsuit will be exposed as meritless \u2013 as have similar<\/a> lawsuits<\/a> before \u2013 but sadly, seeking scientists\u2019 emails is an increasingly popular<\/a> way to harass, intimidate, and attempt to discredit researchers.
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\nUnfortunately, legal attacks on the climate science community happen on a regular basis. To help as many scientists as possible, we will again be offering free one-on-one consultations with an attorney<\/strong> at the American Geophysical Union (AGU) Fall Meeting in San Francisco, from December 14 to 18. Details available here<\/a>.
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\nPlease consider donating<\/a> to help us protect climate scientists from legal attacks. As always, your support is greatly appreciated. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"