Stanford University Professor Mark Jacobson is asking for $10 million in damages from the authors of a paper challenging claims he made about the viability of renewable energy, Lindsay Marchello writes.
For the sake of scientific integrity, let’s hope the court finds no merit in Jacobson’s lawsuit, regardless of his classification.
David Victor, one Clack’s co-authors and the co-director of the Laboratory on International Law and Regulation at University of California-San Diego, told the San Diego Union-Tribune, “It is unfortunate that Mark Jacobson has decided to pursue this legally as opposed to openly, in the scientific tradition.”
Environmental Progress, a research and policy organization advocating for sustainable energy, called the lawsuit an “appalling attack on free speech and scientific inquiry.”
“What Jacobson has done is unprecedented. Scientific disagreements must be decided not in court but rather through the scientific process,” Michael Shellenberger, founder and president of Environmental Progress, wrote.
If Jacobson proves successful, he sets a dangerous precedent. It would have a chilling effect on future academic research and hinder scientific innovation and advancement. How can progress be made if ideas are not given rigorous, peer-reviewed scrutiny?
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