Climate Scientists Defense Fund – Please Help

Update (01/22/12): Visit the new home page for Climate Science Legal Defense Fund at http://climatesciencedefensefund.org/.

Update (12/21/11): The Climate Science Legal Defense Fund (CSLDF) is now an affiliate of the non-profit Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility (PEER).  Donations are now tax-deductible and can be sent to PEER.  For those with a Pay Pal account, please send donations to info@peer.org and be sure to record “CSLDF donation” in the memo field.  Donations can also be mailed to PEER at the address below.  Be sure to record “CSLDF donation” in the memo line of your check.

Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility (PEER)
2000 P Street, NW
Suite 240
Washington, DC 20036

News Flash (11/02/11): A huge victory for climate science and academic freedom thanks to your continued support.

Dear Colleagues,

Climate researchers are in need of immediate legal assistance to prevent their private correspondence from being exposed to Chris Horner and the American Tradition Institute who are using Freedom of Information (FOI) to harass researchers.   (For context please see: http://wapo.st/pQg0JC and http://wapo.st/oiua7V)  The American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) has recently stated: “the sharing of research data is vastly different from unreasonable, excessive Freedom of Information Act requests for personal information and voluminous data that are then used to harass and intimidate scientists.” The complete AAAS statement is available at http://bit.ly/p04sIq

Many scientists do not enjoy the institutional support necessary to fight attacks from well-funded science-denying groups.  We need to help scientists to defend themselves.   If ATI succeeds in this case, it would set a terrible precedent for scientists at public institutions across the country. But if they are turned back here, it will send a clear message to climate deniers that scientists are willing to stand up to them and fight for their rights.

A send financial support button has been set up at https://profmandia.wordpress.com/2011/09/09/donation/  So far we have collected almost $2000 of the $10,000 needed to file the legal papers.  This fundraising will be an ongoing effort so the $10,000 is our immediate short-term goal.  Support of $25, $100, or more will go a long way to ensure that our top scientists can continue their important work without the constant harassment designed to slow them down.

I also strongly encourage you to share this information with your colleagues or others who would be interested in contributing .  Any questions can be directed to me by phone or email. I will be keeping a confidential record of contributors.

Scott A. Mandia, Professor – Physical Sciences
mandias@sunysuffolk.edu
631-451-4104