Scientist muzzled over global warming

LONDON, March 8 (UPI) -- The British scientist who claimed global warming is more of a danger than terrorism has been rebuked by the government, The Independent reported Monday.

David King was given the hush order by Ivan Rogers, Prime Minister Tony Blair's principal private secretary, who told the leader's chief scientific adviser to limit his contact with the media.

King wrote a scathing article in the American journal Science in January attacking President George Bush's administration for failing to take climate change seriously.

"In my view, climate change is the most severe problem we are facing today, more serious even than the threat of terrorism," he wrote.

In a leaked memo, King was told by Rogers, "This sort of discussion does not help us achieve our wider policy aims ahead of our G8 presidency (next year)."

The newspaper said when asked to explain how he had come to the conclusion that global warming was more serious than terrorism, King replied his equation was "based on the number of fatalities that have already occurred," implying global warming has already killed more people than terrorism.