This letter is from 17 scientists and researchers who in 2011 were Google Science Fellows. More at http:dotearth.blogs.nytimes.com and http://www.climatesciencewatch.org

1. Eric
Schmidt
(Executive
Chairman)
and
Larry
Page
(CEO)
Google
Inc.
1600
Amphitheatre
Parkway
Mountain
View,
CA
94043
USA
August
1,
2013
Dear
Dr.
Schmidt
and
Mr.
Page,
Google
has
earned
its
reputation
as
one
of
America’s
most
innovative
and
forward-­‐thinking
companies,
and
has
shown
climate
leadership
by
improving
its
own
environmental
performance
and
investing
in
clean
energy
technologies.
That’s
why
it
was
deeply
troubling
for
us,
as
Google
Science
Communication
Fellows,
to
learn
about
Google’s
July
11,
2013
fundraiser
supporting
Oklahoma
Senator
James
Inhofe’s
2014
re-­‐election
campaign.
Among
his
most
notorious
statements,
Senator
Inhofe
has
outrageously
claimed
that
climate
change
is
"a
hoax
on
the
American
people"
and,
in
the
absence
of
a
shred
of
factual
evidence,
accused
climate
scientists
of
being
"criminals."
The
reality
that
human
activities
are
causing
major
disruptions
to
our
global
climate
and
that
these
disruptions
pose
serious
risks
to
society
is
accepted
by
virtually
every
climate
scientist
and
by
the
world’s
leading
scientific
organizations.
Yet
for
more
than
a
decade,
Senator
Inhofe
has
attacked
and
demeaned
the
very
scientists
who
have
worked
tirelessly
to
better
understand
the
threat
and
to
warn
us
of
the
risks
posed
to
the
environment,
our
communities,
and
our
children.
In
the
face
of
intensifying
heat,
rising
seas
and
extreme
weather,
corporate
leadership
and
private
sector
innovation
will
be
essential
to
developing
clean
energy
technologies
and
implementing
more
sustainable
business
practices.
So
too
will
be
political
dialogue,
bipartisanship,
and
cooperation.
That’s
why
we’re
strongly
supportive
of
the
outreach
efforts
of
former
Republican
Congressman
Bob
Inglis,
who
today
leads
the
Conservative
Climate
Coalition.
Yet
sadly,
over
the
past
decade,
the
polarization
and
gridlock
that
has
derailed
efforts
to
address
climate
change
owes
much
to
Senator
Inhofe,
who
by
relentlessly
attacking
the
scientific
community
has
undermined
efforts
at
cooperation
and
consensus
building.
Given
Google’s
commitment
to
educating
the
public
about
climate
change,
why
would
the
company
align
its
political
efforts
with
Inhofe?
In
responding
to
criticism,
a
Google
spokesperson
acknowledged
“while
we
disagree
on
climate
change
policy,
we
share
an
interest
with
Senator
Inhofe
in
the
employees
and
data
center
we
have
in
Oklahoma.”

2. But
Inhofe's
assault
on
the
scientific
community
is
not
a
difference
in
climate
policy;
it's
a
strategy
designed
to
promote
dysfunction
and
paralysis;
to
destroy
the
reputation
of
scientists
and
the
legitimacy
of
their
institutions;
and
to
undermine
our
ability
to
find
common
ground.
Such
a
strategy
conflicts
with
the
data-­‐driven,
problem
solving
culture
that
has
enabled
Google’s
business
success
and
is
arguably
contrary
to
its
corporate
philosophy
of
“Don’t
Be
Evil.”
In
2011,
as
participants
in
Google’s
science
communication
fellows
program,
we
witnessed
first
hand
the
company’s
unique
culture.
At
its
Mountain
View
headquarters,
we
were
introduced
to
new
communication
technologies
and
strategies
for
effectively
translating
climate
science
to
a
broad
audience.
At
the
time,
we
were
proud
to
be
part
of
Google’s
investment
in
science
education;
inspired
by
the
creative,
talented,
and
passionate
people
we
met;
and
eager
to
apply
new
tools
and
strategies
in
our
public
outreach
activities.
But
Google’s
recent
support
for
Senator
Inhofe
forces
us
to
question
the
company’s
commitment
to
science
communication
and
to
addressing
climate
change.
Nearly
every
large
company
must
–
and
should
–
work
with
policymakers
on
both
sides
of
the
aisle.
We
also
recognize
the
difficulty
that
corporations
sometimes
face
in
reconciling
their
core
principles
with
their
short-­‐term
business
priorities.
But
in
the
face
of
urgent
threats
like
climate
change,
there
are
times
where
companies
like
Google
must
display
moral
leadership
and
carefully
evaluate
their
political
bedfellows.
Google’s
support
of
Senator
James
Inhofe’s
re-­‐election
campaign
is
one
of
those
moments.
The
Signatories
were
all
Google
Climate
Science
Communication
Fellows
in
2011:
§ Brendan
Bohannan,
Professor,
Environmental
Studies
and
Biology,
University
of
Oregon
§ Julia
Cole,
Professor,
Geosciences
and
Atmospheric
Sciences,
The
University
of
Arizona
§ Eugene
Cordero,
Professor,
Department
of
Meteorology
and
Climate
Science,
San
Jose
State
University
§ Frank
Davis,
Professor,
Bren
School
of
Environmental
Science
and
Management,
University
of
California,
Santa
Barbara
§ Andrew
Dessler,
Professor
of
Atmospheric
Sciences,
Texas
A&M
University
§ Simon
Donner,
Associate
Professor,
Department
of
Geography,
University
of
British
Columbia
§ Nicole
Heller,
Visiting
Assistant
Professor,
Nicholas
School
of
the
Environment,
Duke
University
§ Brian
Helmuth,
Professor,
Department
of
Marine
and
Environmental
Sciences
and
School
of
Public
Policy
and
Urban
Affairs,
Northeastern
University
§ Jonathan
Koomey,
Research
Fellow,
Steyer-­‐Taylor
Center
for
Energy
Policy
and
Finance,
Stanford
University

3. § David
Lea,
Professor,
Dept.
of
Earth
Science,
University
of
California,
Santa
Barbara,
CA
§ Kelly
Levin,
Senior
Associate,
World
Resources
Institute
§ David
Lobell,
Associate
Professor
of
Environmental
Earth
System
Science,
Stanford
University
§ Ed
Maurer,
Associate
Professor
&
Robert
W.
Peters
Professor,
Civil
Engineering
Dept.,
Santa
Clara
University
§ Suzanne
C.
Moser,
Director,
Susanne
Moser
Research
&
Consulting
and
Social
Science
Research
Fellow,
Woods
Institute
for
the
Environment,
Stanford
University
§ Matthew
C.
Nisbet,
Associate
Professor,
School
of
Communication,
American
University,
Washington
D.C.
§ Whendee
L.
Silver,
Professor
of
Ecosystem
Ecology,
Department
of
Environmental
Science,
Policy,
and
Management,
University
of
California,
Berkeley
§ Alan
Townsend,
Professor,
Institute
of
Arctic
and
Alpine
Research
and
Department
of
Ecology
and
Evolutionary
Biology,
University
of
Colorado
Boulder
Note:
Affiliations
are
for
identification
purposes
only
and
do
not
imply
endorsement
by
an
individual’s
institution
or
organization.