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Friday, December 13, 2013

Interview with Charles Monnett

POLAR BEAR WHISTLEBLOWER


He did what scientists are supposed to do. Listen here (after the news on lifetime gag order on Canadian MP staffers):
On a flight over the Arctic in 2004, U.S. wildlife researcher Charles Monnett reported seeing drowned polar bears -- a finding that he later published in a scientific journal. His sighting became a symbol of the melting Arctic, and a focal point for campaigners like Al Gore.
Everyone was unhappy about his discovery. But some people were just unhappy because he wrote about it. Mr. Monnett's employer -- the U.S. federal government -- launched a years-long investigation of him. And, he claims, tried to silence work that challenged oil and gas development in the Arctic.
Charles Monnett has now received a cash settlement from the federal government -- and no longer works there. We reached Mr. Monnett in Seattle.

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