Summit County Citizens Voice

Scientist group says it's not launching a political counter-attack to Congressional global warming skeptics.

Scientist group says LA Times misrepresented purpose of a climate-science communications program

By Summit Voice

SUMMIT COUNTY — A professional association of scientists is sparring with the mainstream media over what it says is a mischaracterization of a new climate-science communications project.

In a press release, the American Geophysical Union said its about-to-be relaunched Climate Q&A Service is not intended to be the focal point of a campaign against congressional global warming skeptics, as was reported by the LA Times, the Chicago Tribune and other sources. Here is a link to the LA Times story, which was repeated in scores of places on the web during the weekend.

“In contrast to what has been reported in the LA Times and elsewhere, there is no campaign … against climate skeptics or congressional conservatives,” said AGU director and CEO Christine McEntee. “AGU will continue to provide accurate scientific information on Earth and space topics to inform the general public and to support sound public policy development.”

The AGU is the world’s largest, not-for-profit, professional society of Earth and space scientists, with more than 58,000 members in over 135 countries.

“AGU is a scientific society, not an advocacy organization,” said climate scientist and AGU President Michael J. McPhaden. “The organization is committed to promoting scientific discovery and to disseminating to the scientific community, policy makers, the media, and the public, peer-reviewed scientific findings across a broad range of Earth and space sciences.”

AGU initiated a climate science Q&A service for the first time in 2009 to provide accurate scientific information for journalists covering the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen. Since then, the organization has been working on how to provide this service once again in association with the upcoming UN Climate Change Conference in Cancun, Mexico.

AGU’s Climate Q&A service addresses scientific questions only. It does not involve any commentary on policy. Journalists are able to submit questions via email, and AGU member-volunteers with Ph.D.s in climate science-related fields provide answers via email.
The relaunch of the Climate Q&A service is pending. When AGU is ready to announce the service, it will notify journalists on our distribution list via a media advisory that the service is once again available for their use.

Filed under: Environment, global warming, Summit County Colorado Tagged: | 2009 United Nations Climate Change Conference, American Geophysical Union, Chicago Tribune, Climatology, Environment, global warming, Global warming controversy, Los Angeles Times, media, Summit County Colorado, Summit County News