March 10, 2015 3:38PM # You Ought to Have a Look: An Overreaching Investigation By [Patrick J. Michaels](https://www.cato.org/people/patrick-michaels) and [Paul C. “Chip” Knappenberger](https://www.cato.org/people/chip-knappenberger) --- SHARE You Ought to Have a Look *is a feature from the Center for the Study of Science posted by Patrick J. Michaels and Paul C. (“Chip”) Knappenberger. While this section will feature all of the areas of interest that we are emphasizing, the prominence of the climate issue is driving a tremendous amount of web traffic. Here we post a few of the best in recent days, along with our color commentary.* *—* Over the past couple of weeks, prominent members of the climate science/​climate policy community have come under attack for not toeing the (Presidential) party line when it comes to how human-caused climate change is being billed and sold via the President’ Climate Action Plan. The attacks [began](http://www.bostonglobe.com/news/nation/2015/01/26/harvard-smithsonian-climate-change-skeptic-accused-violating-academic-disclosure-agreement/Y1uMQ8yuLpYCjOHGckRArO/story.html) with Harvard Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics researcher Willie Soon, and thanks to the [attention](http://www.nytimes.com/2015/02/22/us/ties-to-corporate-cash-for-climate-change-researcher-Wei-Hock-Soon.html?_r=0) afforded by Justin Gillis in the *New York Times*, were [expanded](http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/energy-environment/wp/2015/02/24/house-dems-did-big-oil-seek-to-sway-scientists-in-climate-debate/) by Representative Raul Grijalva (D‑AZ), to include Richard Lindzen, David Legates, John Christy, Judith Curry, Robert Balling, Roger Pielke Jr., and Steven Hayward. In this *You Ought to Have a Look*, we provide links to the subsequent public comments from those researchers under question (who have made them available) in response to this line of investigation—one which many have termed a “witch hunt.” Here they are: Dr. Willie Soon, Harvard Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics [Statement by Dr. Willie Soon](https://www.heartland.org/policy-documents/statement-dr-willie-soon) Dr. Richard Lindzen, *professor emeritus of atmospheric sciences at MIT and a distinguished senior fellow of the Cato Institute* [The Political Assault on Climate Skeptics](http://www.wsj.com/articles/richard-s-lindzen-the-political-assault-on-climate-skeptics-1425513033) Dr. Steven Hayward, Ronald Reagan Professor of Public Policy 2014–2016, School of Pubic Policy, Pepperdine University [Are You Now, or Have You Ever Been, a Climate Skeptic? ](http://www.powerlineblog.com/archives/2015/02/are-you-now-or-have-you-ever-been-a-climate-skeptic.php)[The Climate Beclowning Continues](http://www.powerlineblog.com/archives/2015/03/the-climate-beclowning-continues.php) Roger Pielke Jr., Professor in the Environmental Studies, Center for Science & Technology Policy Research, University of Colorado [I am Under “Investigation” ](https://theclimatefix.wordpress.com/2015/02/25/i-am-under-investigation/)[Running Updates on the “Witch Hunt”](http://rogerpielkejr.blogspot.com/2015/03/this-post-will-serve-as-running-update.html) Judith Curry, School of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, Georgia Institute of Technology [Conflicts of Interest in Climate Science](http://judithcurry.com/2015/02/25/conflicts-of-interest-in-climate-science/) Additionally, there are other comments out there, almost all negatively inclined to Rep. Grijalva’s investigation and its assault on academic freedom. Here are a few of the more prominent: American Meteorological Society [Letter to Grijalva](http://www.ametsoc.org/sss/letter_on_challenges_to_academic_freedom_Feb15.pdf) *Nature* Magazine [Gone Fishing](http://www.nature.com/news/gone-fishing-1.17028) American Geophysical Union [Protecting Academic Freedom and Holding Ourselves Accountable](http://fromtheprow.agu.org/blog/protecting-academic-freedom-holding-accountable/) It is well-worth looking through these responses to see just how ill-advised this campaign is widely-considered to be. ##### Related Tags [Energy and Environment](https://www.cato.org/research/energy-environment), [Government and Politics](https://www.cato.org/government-politics) [![Creative Commons License](/build/cato_2020/images/creative-commons.svg)](http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/) This work is licensed under a [Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/).