NOAA Accused Of Muzzling Scientists, Truth On Climate Change

Hurricanes are getting worse because of global warming. Kerry Emanuel, a veteran climate researcher at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, made that assertion to a roomful of University of Rhode Island scientists a few months ago. He also charged the federal government's top science agency with ignoring the growing research making that link. Instead of telling the public the truth, he said, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration officials are insisting that hurricanes are worse because of a natural cycle.

Emanuel's comments made little impact at the time. But during the last three months, his comments and those of other scientists have become like hurricanes _ more frequent and more severe. Finally, they are reaching the public. James E. Hansen, the top climate scientist at NASA, was quoted in The New York Times in January as saying he had been threatened with "dire consequences" by some NASA political appointees if he continued to call for limits on emissions of gases linked to global warming.

Many climate scientists at NOAA may no longer take calls from reporters, the story went on to say, unless the interview is approved by administration officials in Washington, and is conducted with a public-affairs officer present. But where scientists' views on climate change align with those of the administration, the Times said, there are few restrictions on speaking or writing. In February, New Republic magazine published a story about NOAA's insistence both in news conferences and on its Web site that global warming has no effect on hurricanes. Many respected climate scientists, including some working at NOAA, believe that is wrong, according to the article. It quoted Don Kennedy, editor in chief of Science magazine, as saying, "There are a lot of scientists there who know it is nonsense ... but they are being discouraged from talking to the press about it."

Last month, retired Navy Vice Adm. Conrad C. Lautenbacher Jr., NOAA's administrator, issued a statement saying that the media reports about muzzling NOAA scientists are incorrect. He urged NOAA scientists to speak freely and openly. He was almost immediately contradicted by Jerry Mahlman, a former director of one of NOAA's top laboratories in New Jersey, who said climate scientists at NOAA have, "indeed, recently been systematically prevented from speaking freely to anyone outside NOAA" about "our inexorably warming planet." Finally, NASA's Jim Hansen appeared on "60 Minutes" last week and repeated his story of government censorship. The story also introduced Rick Piltz, who resigned from the U.S. Climate Change Science Program last year because, he said, the White House kept softening his annual reports on climate change.

EDIT

http://www.shns.com/shns/g_index2.cfm?action=detail&pk=CENSOR-03-28-06

on Time Magazine this week.

http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1176980,00.html


There is no way to ignore the fact
of it's existence, anymore.

Even NOAA can't refute global warmings effect on our planet.

Republicans have demonstrated a frightening facility for the techniques of totalitarianism _JW


of particular interest from the article you posted is:

"Many climate scientists at NOAA may no longer take calls from reporters, the story went on to say, unless the interview is approved by administration officials in Washington, and is conducted with a public-affairs officer present. But where scientists' views on climate change align with those of the administration, the Times said, there are few restrictions on speaking or writing."