Spain’s meteorologists subjected to ‘alarming’ rise in hate speech, minister warns

Environment minister says attacks on social media affect perceptions of meteorology and denigrate researchers' work.

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In a letter sent to hate crimes prosecutors on Wednesday, Sara Aagesen said a number of recent reports examined by the ministry had detected a "significant increase" in the hostile language that climate experts are subjected to on digital platforms.

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One study into the hate speech directed at Spain's state meteorological office, Aemet, found that such attacks affected public perceptions of meteorology and had a direct impact on scientific work.

"Social pressure and smear campaigns can discourage scientists from interacting with the public or even communicating their research openly," said the researchers.

"This chilling effect can limit the advance of scientific knowledge and restrict public access to accurate and high‐quality information. In addition, the spread of conspiracy theories about climate control and weather manipulation directly affects the perception of the current climate alert. Denial that extreme weather events are a result of global warming finds support in these theories, undermining global efforts to mitigate and respond to climate change."

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