Government Accused of Censorship Over Global Warming

E-Mails Suggest Officials Stopped Scientist From Talking About Global Warming
A California congressman has accused the Commerce Department of trying to silence a scientist who believes there is a link between global warming and hurricanes. (NASA/AP Photo)

Sept. 20, 2006 — Commerce Department officials may have tried to stop a government scientist from speaking to reporters because of his views on global warming, a California congressman says.
The officials "tried to suppress a federal scientist from discussing the link between global warming and hurricanes," according to a letter sent Tuesday from Rep. Henry Waxman to Commerce Secretary Carlos Gutierrez.
The link between human-caused global warming and stronger hurricanes has been well established in several peer-reviewed scientific studies released in recent years.
Virtually all researchers who study hurricanes agree that warming temperatures will make hurricanes stronger, although there is debate over how much stronger they may get.
The e-mail centered on an October 2005 request from CNBC television to interview NOAA scientist Thomas Knutson about the link between hurricanes and global warming.