Climatologists and other scientists are afraid of Donald Trump’s accession to power. A guide for their protection was published in record time. An incredible initiative, but nevertheless very real.
Donald Trump inspires fear in the world scientific sphere, but especially American. The future 45th President of the United States has already appointed two climate skeptics to two key environmental positions, namely Scott Pruit to head the United States Environmental Protection Agency and Rick Perry as Secretary Energy. These decisions have created a real wave of panic among climatologists who are currently copying their precious data accumulated over decades in order to secure them.
From December 12 to 16, 2016, the American Geophysical Union (AGU) congress was held, bringing together 20,000 scientists in San Francisco. On this occasion, a guide was unveiled. It is intended to give unusual advice to researchers like this: “When in doubt, call a lawyer. »
This famous guide was developed in record time by Joshua Wolfe and Lauren Kurtz, respectively co-founder and director of the Climate Science Legal Defense Fund. This is a defense fund created in 2011 in response to the pressure, harassment and threats of legal action against certain climatologists. These threats naturally came from groups composed mainly of climatosceptics, the type of people who now make up Donald Trump’s team.
“An email is not always private. Do not reply to messages that you feel are in bad faith. »
The guide in question deals with notions that are well known to lawyers, but unfamiliar to scientists, researchers or even university teachers. For example, it reminds researchers employed by a state institution to be aware of access to information laws and does prevention against misinformation.
Sources: Science Press Agency – NewYorker