October update: Fighting disinformation with new resources
We’re Ready
Through our work at CSLDF, we have heard hundreds of firsthand accounts of the real and devastating consequences that disinformation has for scientists and, therefore, the rest of us.
But we continue to fight back. This month, we updated our Scientific Integrity Guides to reflect updated protections for science newly available at several federal agencies; we’ve also recently added more toolkits to our library of free resources. In addition, we’ve been presenting at scientific conferences and webinars to teach scientists how they can safely and effectively get involved in the 2024 election.
In addition to providing direct legal assistance and legal education to scientists under fire, we work to publicize attacks on science. In the Silencing Science Tracker, we documented Governor Ron DeSantis’ efforts to deny reality by removing all mentions of climate change from Florida laws. Unfortunately for the thousands of people living in Florida and neighboring states, denying the reality of climate change did not prevent the devastation caused by back-to-back hurricanes Helene and Milton.
What this disinformation does achieve is to sow mistrust, harassment, and violence against the scientific community. Climate scientists, meteorologists, and others in related fields all face extreme levels of harassment and abuse as they try to share critical information. After reporting the facts on the approaching hurricanes, a meteorologist recently had to post “Murdering meteorologists won’t stop hurricanes. I can’t believe I just had to type that.”
If you haven’t already, make a plan to vote by November 5 and encourage as many people as you can to get out and vote in favor of science, reality, and sanity.
News & Updates
Updated Scientific Integrity Guides
We recently updated several of our guides on the scientific integrity policies of key federal scientific agencies. The guides are designed to help researchers understand these policies and the protections available for science, and in the case of an attack on science, navigate the process of filing a scientific integrity complaint. Check out our updated guides for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), and the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA).
CSLDF Board Member Michael Gerrard Honored by ABA
We wish to congratulate Michael Gerrard on receiving the 2024 Lifetime Achievement Award in Environmental, Energy, or Resources Law and Policy from the American Bar Association!
2024 Impact Report
We recently updated our 2024 Mid-Year Impact Report, and, needless to say, it has been another record-breaking year. The work defending climate scientists will remain essential, regardless of the outcome of the November 5 election. Check out the updated report to see how your support powers the fight against anti-science forces.
Preparing for the future of defending climate science
Thanks to ongoing donor support, we will continue to defend climate science and scientists, whatever the future brings. Even if our federal government averts the worst-case scenario, we must still contend with rising anti-science sentiments elsewhere, including within state governments.
We have been preparing for a potential return of an anti-science administration in the many ways described above.
We have also added new organizational powers to take additional legal actions on behalf of our climate community. This means, if necessary, we can bring new types of litigation cases on behalf of climate scientists, and we are ready to fight back directly in the courts.
None of this is possible, however, without your support. Please, if you can, send a gift today to help us stand alongside climate scientists at this critical time.
🔬 Scientists: contact us for free, confidential legal help.
📢 Find more news & information on our website.
📲 Follow us on Facebook, LinkedIn, Bluesky, & Twitter.
🗞️ Subscribe to this newsletter at http://eepurl.com/dfHVgb.