I thought of killing myself, says climate scandal professor Phil Jones

THE scientist at the centre of the “climategate” email scandal has revealed that he was so traumatised by the global backlash against him that he contemplated suicide.

Professor Phil Jones said in an exclusive interview with The Sunday Times that he had thought about killing himself “several times”. He acknowledged similarities to Dr David Kelly, the scientist who committed suicide after being exposed as the source for a BBC report that alleged the government had “sexed up” evidence to justify the invasion of Iraq.

In emails that were hacked into and seized upon by global-warming sceptics before the Copenhagen climate summit in December, Jones appeared to call upon his colleagues to destroy scientific data rather than release it to people intent on discrediting their work monitoring climate change.

Jones, 57, said he was unprepared for the scandal: “I am just a scientist. I have no training in PR or dealing with crises.”

The incident has taken a severe toll on his health. He has lost more than a stone in weight and disclosed he is on beta-blockers and using sleeping pills. He said the support of his family, and especially the love of his five-year-old granddaughter, had helped him to shake off suicidal thoughts: “I wanted to see her grow up.”

He remains at risk, still receiving death threats from around the world including two in the past week: “I was shocked. People said I should go and kill myself. They said that they knew where I lived. They were coming from all over the world.”

Jones has temporarily stood down as director of the climatic research unit at the University of East Anglia. He fiercely defends the unit’s science — “I stand by it 100%” — but now accepts that he did not treat Freedom of Information (FoI) requests for the data as seriously as he should have done. Jones believes that the unit was maliciously targeted with multiple FoI requests by climate change sceptics determined to disrupt its work.

Continued>>>
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/environment/article7017922.ece

I wish he'd put the death threaters emails on the internet so we can send them some love back.

I agree with your last line.... it's time people get back to basics and stop feeling so threatened. Let them know there are more of us than them. If they want to threaten people who do the right thing, then we should all defend each other and stand up to bullying.

there's already been an inquiry. even george monbiot of the guardian called for firings to happen

they violated ethical guidelines, and the law.

it's that simple.

The thing is, there are such hair-trigger reactions nowadays, and the @#$%!@!! media, aided and abetted by people who just skim the headlines, encourages that. Conflict sells. I was at the gym this week and a total stranger started talking to me about politics and basically just regurgitated the Fox News-style talking points, invoking "these e-mails" about climate change, as though that finished the conversation!

But then there are the ax grinders and bona fide nuts who are out to get the scientists or anyone else who doesn't toe the ideological line. I suspect many people will stop at harassing their victims, but then there are the truly dangerous types. Poor Mr. Jones!

I see that the comments on the article are full of hatred and ignorance :(

Think before clicking 'SEND" because "they" are definitely watching.

Someone with a vested interest steals his emails right before Copenhagen, cherry picks a few quotes, and suddenly he's an assassination target.

I'm sure every other climate scientist is looking at this story with keen interest and wondering which one of them will be next. I'm sure a lot of them feel intimidated as well.

So much for science...

Feel better Dr.Jones...these losers will eventually have to target someone else...

I don't think there is a single comment posted for that article which isn't by some braindead, teabagger clone...

the skeptics claiming global warming climate change isn't a real and growing danger.

Thanks for the thread, Joanne.