The average author might have been delighted at the idea that reviews were already popping up for a book not yet published. But for Micheal Mann, the excoriating e-views haven't been so welcome. Michael Mann is a leading climate scientist and a lightening rod for those who believe Climate Change is anything from a plot to a lie. From harassing phone calls to angry emails to death threats, he's paying a price to pursue his science. Today we speak with Michael Mann on the chill over Climate Change.

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Three of The Current

Climate Activist, Michael Mann

Many authors might be flattered if their books received so much attention. But Michael Mann ... perhaps not so much. A few weeks before his new book was published, reviews started appearing on Amazon. Lots of scathing, one-star reviews.

If you're wondering why people would have such negative opinions about a book they hadn't read, it might help to know that Professor Mann is a climate scientist at Pennsylvania State University. He's the creator of the hockey stick graph ... a zigzagging line that shows global temperatures over hundreds of years.

In the last century it curves upwards, like a hockey stick. That graph made Professor Mann one of the most polarizing figures in climate science. To some, the graph is powerful evidence of human-made climate change. Doubters see it as a symbol of flawed science - even fraud.

Professor Mann himself has been the target of personal threats and attacks on his scientific integrity. He has also been the subject of several investigations into allegations of academic and scientific misconduct. He has always been exonerated.

Michael Mann is the director of the Earth Systems Science Center at Pennsylvania State University. His new book is called The Hockey Stick and the Climate Wars: Dispatches from the Front Lines. And as part of our Game Changer project, Michael Mann joined us in our Toronto studio.

This segment was produced by The Current's Chris Wodskou.

Related Links

• Michael Mann's counterstrike in the climate wars - LA Times

Last Word - French Enfants

In the days to come on The Current, we'll speak with a U.S. writer, surprised by the good natured, well-behaved children she encountered in France. For today's Last Word, producer Kristin Nelson has been looking into why French enfants are so rarely terrible.

Other segments from today's show:

• Drug Supply Shortages in Canada
• NDP Leadership Hopeful, Martin Singh