A Canadian scientist and science fiction writer who wrote a novel about global warming has had his speaking gig cancelled after Environment Minister Rona Ambrose intervened. The author, Mark Tushingham, works as a scientist for Environment Canada, which makes Ambrose his boss. He's also been ordered to cancel radio and TV appearances about his book.
Mark Tushingham has written a science fiction novel called Hotter than Hell.
It is set in the not-too-distant future when global warming has made many parts of the world too hot to live in and has prompted a war between Canada and the U.S. over water resources.
Tushingham was scheduled to speak in Ottawa about his book and the science underpinning it. But an order from Ambrose's office stopped him.
"He got a directive from the department, cautioning him not to come to this meeting today," said his publisher Elizabeth Margaris of DreamCatcher Publishers in New Brunswick. Margaris had driven from New Brunswick to attend the speech.
(Thanks, Dentarthurdent!)
Update: Michael sez, "get a load of Rona Ambrose's interview with the CBC's Rick Mercer. She is afraid of 'hurting' a maple tree on their visit to a maple syrup farm, and it's quite evident she knows very little about her portfolio."
