Climate Scientist Says Government Censorship Has Confused Public

WASHINGTON, March 19, 2007 — -- A top government climate scientist told Congress today that political appointees without scientific backgrounds are corrupting the scientific process and confusing the public by censoring scientists and improperly editing their research on global warming.

"I believe that the nature of these edits is a good part of the reason for why there is a substantial gap between the understanding of global warming by the relevant scientific community and the knowledge of the public and policymakers," said James Hansen, director of NASA's Goddard Institute for Space Studies. "There has been so much doubt cast on our understanding that they think it's still completely up in the air."

Also sitting at the witness table were two former Bush administration political appointees -- Phillip Cooney and George Deutsch -- who have found themselves at the center of separate recent climate science controversies.

In January 2006, Hansen complained that NASA officials, including Deutsch, were insisting that his lectures, media interviews and papers be approved in advance by public affairs staff at NASA headquarters. Deutsch, a former intern for George W. Bush's re-election campaign, had no scientific training.

"Why are public affairs offices staffed by political appointees?" asked Hansen, who said he testified today as a private citizen. "Their job should be to help scientists present results in a language that the public can understand. They should not be forcing scientists to parrot propaganda."

Deutsch testified that high-ranking NASA officials were unhappy with Hansen after seeing a report on ABC's "Good Morning America" by correspondent Bill Blakemore in December 2005. Blakemore, citing information from Hansen, reported that 2005 was tied to become the hottest year on record.

"Senior NASA officials conveyed to me that they were unaware of the release of this information being coordinated with headquarters or peer review," Deutsch said. "The same senior NASA officials were, to say the least, upset by this procedural breach."