French weatherman fired for promoting book sceptical of climate change

Philippe Verdier of state-owned channel France 2 was taken off air in October for his book attacking 'complete hype on the climate'

A weather forecaster for French state television has been fired after releasing and promoting a book criticising politicians, scientists and others for what he calls an exaggerated view of climate change.

Philippe Verdier's dismissal from France 2 comes a month before Paris hosts a UN conference aiming for the most ambitious worldwide agreement yet to limit global warming. He announced his dismissal in an online video over the weekend in which he described it as an attack on media freedom.