France Télévisions’ chief weather forecaster, Philippe Verdier, boldly told the world in his new book Climat Investigation that the IPCC and other climate alarmists are guilty of “taking the world hostage” to bad science, bad economics, and bad politics.

It didn’t take long for the axe to fall. France Télévisions, a government-run station, put him on “forced holiday” as punishment.

According to the UK Telegraph, “unions at France Television called for Mr Verdier to be fired, but that Delphine Ernotte, the broadcaster’s chief executive, initially said he should be allowed to stay “in the name of freedom of expression.”

Whether that decision is final is yet to be known.

Verdier said the IPCC has “blatantly erased” data contrary to its claims and committed the unpardonable sin of pointing out the benefits of global warming for his own country and others similarly located: warmer winters leading to lower energy costs and fewer deaths, “and better wine and champagne vintages,” in Telegraph writer Henry Samuel.

Samuel wrote that Verdier

decided to write the book in June 2014 when Laurent Fabius, the French foreign minister, summoned the country’s main weather presenters and urged them to mention “climate chaos” in their forecasts.

“I was horrified by this discourse,” Mr Verdier told Les Inrockuptibles magazine. Eight days later, Mr Fabius appeared on the front cover of a magazine posing as a weatherman above the headline: “500 days to save the planet.”

Mr Verdier said: “If a minister decides he is Mr Weatherman, then Mr Weatherman can also express himself on the subject in a lucid manner.

“What’s shameful is this pressure placed on us to say that if we don’t hurry, it’ll be the apocalypse,” he added, saying that “climate diplomacy” means leaders are seeking to force changes to suit their own political timetables.

The climate bullies are stifling debate again. That’s bad news for the alarmist side. Trying to silence your opponent is one of the surest signs that you can’t win the argument by evidence and logic.

 

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