Climate 'Scientists' On Twitter: "Oh, Woe Is Us, Having To Endure Vicious Abuse From Climate Crisis Deniers"

Poor loves. My heart bleeds for those sensitive souls, whose only altruistic ambition is to inform the public of the ‘settled science’ of global warming and how they should be afraid, be very afraid, of bad weather, melting ice and rising sea levels. Their reward for such selfless philanthropism? They get vicious abuse from a sceptical public, in the form of sarcastic comments, outright cynicism and - OMG, the very worst! - the questioning of their facts!

The Guardian (naturally) takes up their cause. My question is, if they’re that dissatisfied, why don’t they go on strike? My bin men have gone on strike. Damn nuisance it is. I suspect the answer is that if they did take industrial action, unlike my bin men, the public would heave a sigh of relief and realise, during their paid absence, that we don’t really need these ‘experts’ telling us that it’s further evidence of the ‘climate crisis’ every time it rains, or doesn’t rain, or gets hot, or gets very windy, or an ice cube melts up north or down south, or a polar bear stubs its toe, or some South American frog develops a higher voice, or whatever.

Some of the UK’s top scientists are struggling to deal with what they describe as a huge rise in abuse from climate crisis deniers on Twitter since the social media platform was taken over by Elon Musk last year.

Climate scientists say the change has been stark, and they are fighting to make themselves heard over a “barrage” of often hostile comments.

“There’s been a massive change,” said Mark Maslin, professor of earth system science at University College London and the author of popular books including How to Save Our Planet. “I get so much abuse and rude comments now. It’s happening to all of us, but I challenge the climate deniers so I’ve been really targeted.”

Maslin said he will stay on the platform and push back against conspiracy theories with scientific evidence. “I want people to understand there are solutions. There is a real need for us to be on social media defending the truth, however nasty the responses get.”

But not all scientists have found standing up to regular hostility an easy feat. Doug McNeall, a statistician working on climate change at the Met Office Hadley Centre at Exeter University, said he had blocked or muted many accounts on Twitter even before Musk’s arrival. “I got to the point where it was definitely affecting my mental health,” he said.

Professor Richard Betts, chair of climate impacts at Exeter University and head of climate impacts at the Hadley Centre, said: “Outright hostility has increased in recent weeks. It’s mostly just people saying you’re talking rubbish. They don’t want a conversation.”

I would have loved to have had a conversation with Betts when he was talking rubbish about heavy rain in Exeter recently.

But sadly, ‘free speech absolutist’ and employer of WEF executives, Elon Musk, won’t let me back on, so Betts and pals have to endure the slightly less well informed, but no less cynical response of an irate general public instead. Bleedin’ hearts and violins at the ready, please. All together now: “Awwww! Shame!”