Lhe United Kingdom, like other countries in Europe, was hit hard by a strong heat wave with temperatures reaching 40°C. At the same time, weather forecasters and journalists have been targeted by an “unprecedented” wave of cyberbullying, says the BBC. Information relayed by BFMTV. As the country suffered one of the strongest heat waves in its history, some Britons accused them of linking the high heat to climate change.
Accused of being “alarmist”, prey to “hysteria”, or even of “wanting to scare the population”, the Royal meteorological society channel and the Met office admit having received hundreds of hateful messages criticizing their observations . As the UK broke temperature records, the Met Office estimated that global warming had made this heat wave ten times more likely. “Abusive comments increase when the climate change message is intrinsic to the story,” says Liz Bentley, chief executive of the Royal Meteorological Society, lambasting “accusations of lying or suggestions of blackmail.”
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“I’ve noticed that the abuse is getting meaner and more personal, and it’s quite demoralizing when you’re trying to do your job,” says BBC meteorologist Jennifer Bartram. For his part, Matt Taylor, weather presenter at the BBC, explains that in his 25-year career, he had never witnessed such a wave of hatred. “That’s the most abusive tone I’ve ever received. I kind of disconnected from it all because it got too depressing to read some of the replies”.