Former IPCC co-chair Valérie Masson-Delmotte condemns the ongoing systematic attacks on science and scientists in the United States. She describes the situation as « unprecedented since the Chinese Cultural Revolution or McCarthyism. »
No Day Without Announcements of Budget Cuts or Mass Layoffs in the U.S. Administration
A policy that, in many ways, resembles a “systematic dismantling,” according to world-renowned paleoclimatologist and former co-chair of Working Group I of the IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change) until 2023, Valérie Masson-Delmotte.
This dismantling is accompanied by “censorship of scientific content, particularly on climate change, health, and development aid.” Among the hardest hit, according to the scientist, are the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the National Science Foundation (NSF), both of which have already suffered severe budget cuts imposed by Donald Trump and his so-called « government efficiency » enforcer, Elon Musk.
Witch Hunt
Dozens of budgets have been drastically reduced or outright erased, and thousands of scientists have been laid off—“particularly young researchers who have not yet secured tenure or women, leading to irreversible damage,” warns Valérie Masson-Delmotte. She cites several examples of suspended programs, including NOAA’s atmospheric balloon measurement campaigns in the Arctic. The result will be a “data deficit with global consequences” for climate research.
Another sign of the ongoing demolition: the U.S. delegation was banned from attending the IPCC General Assembly in Hangzhou, China, last week. This amounts to a modern-day witch hunt, “unprecedented since the Chinese Cultural Revolution or McCarthyism,” which, according to the former IPCC co-chair, has left the scientific community in a state of shock and triggered “forms of self-censorship to avoid displeasing authorities.”
The Stand Up for Science movement refuses to accept this downward spiral. The movement has gained powerful support in France, as demonstrated by the mobilization of numerous scientific societies in recent days, as well as universities on Friday. “We have notably launched an appeal to establish scientific asylum programs for our colleagues,” adds Valérie Masson-Delmotte.
Source: ledauphine
