“The science is too clear about what will happen in the near-term,” writes Vice science editor Brian Merchant, “to continue to allow profiteers and ideologues to place the public in danger without consequence.”

Merchant’s argument, and the argument of many others, is that fossil fuels are causing horrific natural disasters. So denying that is true makes the denier criminally negligent.

Merchant went on to directly state that denying climate change “should be a crime.”

“What they really want to be wrong,” says Media Research Center analyst Aly Nielsen, who wrote about Merchant’s story, “is disagreement on the absolute fundamental policy changes that should happen because of this.”

Even if a person agrees that climate change is real and it’s caused by mankind’s action, and Big Oil is also to blame, says Nielsen, disagreeing with the environmental movement’s goals still makes you their enemy.

“I would still be wrong in their mind and my thinking should still be a crime,” she says, “because it’s not just climate change denial that they’re against, it’s anyone who disagrees with them on anything.”

Merchant did receive pushback for his story, such as veteran meteorologist Joe Bastardi who told the Vice editor via Twitter that no one denies the earth’s climate changes.

“How do you explain so many storms stronger than Harvey, most from over 50 years ago?” Bastardi asked.