‘A Form Of Violence’?

Some climate scientists still struggle to cope with people who disagree

So a few days back, Cliff Mass – a Professor of Atmospheric Sciences at the University of Washington as well as a radio weatherman – decided to write something about the wildfires in California, and in particular, the question of whether climate change had played a role. At the end of a long analysis of climatological trends in the area, he drew his conclusions:

Was Global Warming A Significant Factor in California’s Camp Fire? The Answer is Clearly No. https://t.co/FjphH8N5tj pic.twitter.com/MhbjsEjSnN — Cliff Mass (@CliffMass) November 20, 2018

Unexceptionable, you might think. Agree or disagree: show us your data and talk about it.

Well, not in the Alice in Wonderland world of climate science. Take a look at some of the replies, particularly those from a moderately prominent climate scientist called Sarah Myhre.

There were many other responses in similar vein. One more moderate-minded reader tried to bring a little sanity to the exchange, but was told in no uncertain terms to be quiet:

Sorry Charles. That’s white male identity politics to a T. — Dr. Sarah E. Myhre (@SarahEMyhre) November 20, 2018

This exchange was followed by the almost inevitable attempt to contact Mass’s employer

Yo @knkxfm This is what you prop up when you give Cliff a public platform. This is a form a violence. Stop. Please stop. — Dr. Sarah E. Myhre (@SarahEMyhre) November 20, 2018

“A form of violence”? Whatever next? How can climate science ever hope to advance when the level of discourse is on this level?