Tag Archives: Climategate

British Parliament investigation into Climategate largely clears scientists

A British Parliament committee has largely absolved scientists involved in the Climategate email scandal but also accused them of a 'culture of withholding information.' (Examiner.com)
A British Parliament committee has largely absolved scientists involved in the Climategate email scandal but also accused them of a 'culture of withholding information.' (Examiner.com)

A formal inquiry by the British Parliament’s Science and Technology Committee into the Climategate email scandal has largely absolved the British scientists involved of the most serious allegations against them. The panel did however also conclude that there were issues that needed to be addressed in order to allay public doubts about the scientists’ work.

The panel took a cursory look into the accusations that have been leveled against the University Of East Anglia (UAE), its Climate Research Unit (CRU) and the head of CRU, Dr. Phil Jones. Only one day of hearings were held in the inquiry that was first announced in January

Among the issues the committee discussed were the charges of manipulation / suppression of data, UAE’s / CRU’s practices for information dissemination and its compliance with Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests.

In a 63 page report (link above), the British MP’s outline the case against those involved and the conclusions they reached. For most critical issues including the charges of data manipulation that were brought about by emails discussing a ‘trick’ to ‘hide the decline’, the panel concluded Jones and his colleagues had not done anything untoward.

It further concluded that the climate data generated by CRU is in line with other datasets from NASA’s Goddard Institute of Space Studies (GISS) and the National Climatic Data Center (NCDC). “We therefore conclude that there is independent verification, through the use of other methodologies and other sources of data, of the results and conclusions of the Climate Research Unit at the University of East Anglia,” the report said.

A statement accompanying the report, the panel said that, “The focus on Professor Jones and CRU has been largely misplaced.” It notes that Jones’ limiting of access to the underlying data of his conclusions about manmade climate change were ‘standard practice’ in climate science.

However, all was not perfect in the report at the panel slammed the scientists and university for their lack of action on Freedom of Information Act requests.  Get all the details at the Climate Change Examiner.

Al Gore reappears – Says errors in climate science are irrelevant

In the wake of the Climategate email scandal, the failure at the climate summit and with revelations of errors in IPCC documents, Al Gore has been conspicuously absent - until now.
In the wake of the Climategate email scandal, the failure at the climate summit and with revelations of errors in IPCC documents, Al Gore has been conspicuously absent - until now.

Former Vice President Al Gore had been conspicuously absent from the public eye recently. Following on the failure of the Copenhagen climate summit and new revelations of errors in key climate science reports, the Nobel Laureate was nowhere to be found. On Sunday he returned with an op-ed in the New York Times discussing the ‘attacks’ on the manmade climate change theory.

As is the norm for his work, Gore as always takes the opportunity to use over-the-top language to push for action against what he describes as an “unimaginable calamity” that will be visited on the earth. He used the liberal ‘Old Gray Lady’ to discuss his thoughts on the errors in the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s (IPCC) work, the Climategate email scandal and took jabs at news organizations like FOX News.

In recent weeks numerous errors in the IPCC’s seminal AR4 report have been discovered. Statements of disappearing Himalayan glaciers, rain forests threatened by global warming, loss of mountain ice and more have been shown to be grossly exaggerated at best or patently false at worst. Further, dozens of citations in the work come from political and activist sources, not scientific research. All of this in what is supposed to be the ‘gold standard’ of research from which leaders are supposed to draw conclusions.

Gore only concedes two of the many errors – the one concerning Himalayan glaciers and another comical one about the Netherlands finding itself flooded. He says science will “never be completely free of mistakes” and says that “the overwhelming consensus on global warming remains unchanged.”

Few would argue that science is perfect in any area of study. However, many would simply expect that if drastic measures are to be taken to combat the purported threat of manmade climate change, the science should be sound before jumping in.

There's more to this story on Examiner.com!See what else the former vice president had to say including comments that allude to FOX News on the Climate Change Examiner.

Climategate scientist admits faults in manmade climate change theory

Most will concede the globe is warming but what is responsible.  Even a scientist that is a climate change alarmist admits it may not be man.
Most will concede the globe is warming but what is responsible. Even a scientist that is a climate change alarmist admits it may not be man.

Dr. Phil Jones has gone from relative obscurity to worldwide prominence as the central figure in the Climategate email scandal. His actions and those of other climate scientists as revealed by the messages have cast a pall over the state of climate science and the manmade climate change theory. In interviews conducted in recent days, Jones shockingly reveals his own doubts about the science.

The world has been told the ‘science is settled’ and the ‘consensus’ of the scientific community is solid – man is the primary driver of climate change on the earth. Skeptics that have pointed out problems with the data and climate computer models. They have said that the lack of warming in the past 10 years despite increases in carbon dioxide show the science is not as solid as it has been portrayed.

Until this past year those that had their doubts were largely ignored. The email scandal and recent revelations of significant problems with the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s (IPCC) reports have given rise to new doubts.

In interviews with the BBC and “Nature” over the past week, Jones gives credence to many of the arguments of skeptics and acknowledges the science may not be as solid as the world has been led to believe.

The BBC asked Jones about how the rate of warming from 1975 to 1998 was identical to warming recorded previously from 1860 to 1880 and 1910 to 1940.

Jones acknowledged that the warming in earlier periods was at nearly identical rates as later periods. “The warming rates are not statistically significantly different,” he said. The fact similar rates of warming were recorded before significant CO2 emissions casts a doubt on the argument that CO2 is driving the warming.

Jones admitted that there had been ‘no statistically significant’ warming over the last 15 years. He however maintains that is simply an interruption of warming that will continue.

There's more to this story on Examiner.com!That wasn’t all Jones said.  He continued Medieval Warm Period and questions about the accuracy of climate data.  Be sure to visit the Climate Change Examiner for the complete story.

Questions about the ethics of Climategate scientists abound

The fallout from the release of thousands of emails from the world’s top climate scientists has been swift. Some of those involved have begun to turn on each other and even the international organization that has driven the manmade climate change debate is turning its back on them.

The Climategate scandal spans the globe and includes scientists from top universities, government agencies and private institutions. While some have said the messages call into question the very science behind anthropogenic climate change, on a more personal level it calls into question the ethics of the men involved. Data manipulation and deletion, efforts to prevent sharing of information, collusion to prevent publication of dissenting opinions and many more charges have been leveled.

Dr. Phil Jones, head of the Climate Research Unit at the University of East Anglia, was arguably featured most prominently in the emails. He apparently made requests of his colleagues to delete emails that he didn’t wish to see shared, made concerted efforts to withhold data, and worked with other scientists to stifle others opinions.

Jones temporarily stepped down from his position pending the results of an investigation. He has however seen little support from other scientists involved in the event.

Dr. Michael Mann of Penn State University and author of the discredited ‘hockey stick’ graph was the recipient of one of the emails from asking him and other scientists to delete previous correspondence. In interviews since the event, Mann did not support Jones saying, “I can’t put myself in the mind of the person who wrote that email and sent it. I in no way endorse what was in that email.”

Mann disavowed deleting any messages however, when he received the message he did not object and in fact replied that he would forward the request to Dr. Eugene Wahl at the National Climatic Data Center (NCDC).Penn State is currently investigating Mann however that inquiry is being conducted in private just leading to doubts about its impartiality.

There's more to this story on the Denver Weather Examiner's site!What do other prominent scientists and the United Nations have to say about the scientists?  Get the rest of the story at the Climate Change Examiner.

Complete coverage of the UN Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen

The Climate Change Examiner is the place for the latest on the United Nations Climate Change Conference.
The Climate Change Examiner is the place for the latest on the United Nations Climate Change Conference.

15,000 delegates, 5,000 journalists and dozens of world leaders have decended on Copenhagen, Denmark for the UN Climate Change Conference (COP15).  Decisions will be made that could shape the world in the decades to come. 

There is a lot going with the various press conferences, proposals, protests and more.  Underscoring the importance of the event, President Barack Obama will attend next week.  Will an agreement be reached?  What form will it take? 

The ultimate goal is to establish rules and limits on carbon emissions for all nations but it is not without controversy.  The recent Climategate scandal is serving as a backdrop and causing doubt in many people’s minds. 

The Climate Change Examiner is covering the story and its potentially wide-ranging effects.  Be sure to take a look!

ABC, CBS, NBC continue to ignore Climategate email scandal

The story has all the makings of a big news story and a world class whodunit. An illegal break in leads to charges of a global conspiracy. Some of the world’s leading experts tackling one of the most pressing issues of our day and age are forced to launch a defense of themselves. Two experts fall under the specter of investigations, Congress holds hearings into the affair, the Internet is set afire by one phrase – Climategate.

For two weeks the story rages and grows in intensity and yet somehow, the big three television networks are missing in action. Whether the story is just smoke or if there is fire behind it, the hacking of one of the world’s major climate research centers and the fallout from it is big news. By ignoring the story, ABC, CBS and NBC are highlighting the failures of themselves and much of the mainstream media.  Perhaps more importantly they are contributing to their own demise and irrelevance.

Since the Climategate story broke two weeks ago today on November 20th, the story has been covered by all cable news networks including FOX News and CNN. Through it all, the big three are nowhere to be found. Not one mention of the event has been made on the networks’ morning or evening news broadcasts.

The story has all the makings of a big news story and a world class whodunit. An illegal break in leads to charges of a global conspiracy. Some of the world’s leading experts tackling one of the most pressing issues of our day and age are forced to launch a defense of themselves. Two experts fall under the specter of investigations, Congress holds hearings into the affair, the Internet is set afire by one phrase – Climategate.

For two weeks the story rages and grows in intensity and yet somehow, the big three television networks are missing in action. Whether the story is just smoke or if there is fire behind it, the hacking of one of the world’s major climate research centers and the fallout from it is big news. By ignoring the story, ABC, CBS and NBC are highlighting the failures of themselves and much of the mainstream media.  Perhaps more importantly they are contributing to their own demise and irrelevance.

Since the Climategate story broke two weeks ago today on November 20th, the story has been covered by all cable news networks including FOX News and CNN. Through it all, the big three are nowhere to be found. Not one mention of the event has been made on the networks’ morning or evening news broadcasts.

There's more to this story on the Denver Weather Examiner's site!Why are the networks ignoring the story?  Who is covering the story in the networks’ absence?  Get all the details on the Climate Change Examiner. 

Climategate causes uproar – latest news and opinion

Late last week thousands of emails from Britain’s top climate research agency were illegally released on the Internet and immediately caused an uproar in the debate about manmade climate change. The messages of private communications between some of the world’s top climate scientists raised questions about possible collusion, manipulation of data, deleting of climate data, and concerted efforts to silence dissenting opinions.

The Climate Change Examiner has been covering the developing story as new information is uncovered. These are some of the more recent stories to have come out:

Thursday, November 26th, 2009

New Zealand’s National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research (NIWA) responded to charges that it had incorrectly adjusted the…
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Wednesday, November 25th, 2009

Following on Climategate and the questions about the actions of some of the world’s top scientists, it has just been revealed that New…
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Wednesday, November 25th, 2009

Amidst the very serious discussion about the emails and documents from some of the world’s top climate scientists that were released on the…
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Tuesday, November 24th, 2009

Legal counsel for the Competitive Enterprise Institute (CEI) filed three Notices of Intent to File Suit against NASA today. Chris Horner, counsel of…
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Tuesday, November 24th, 2009

Swimming against the tide is never an easy task. Scientists that disagreed with the manmade climate change theory have learned that if you’re…
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Monday, November 23rd, 2009

The release of thousands of email messages from Britain’s Climate Research Unit has stirred up a hornet’s nest of debate about whether or…
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Monday, November 23rd, 2009

Some of the world’s top climate change scientists have found themselves having to defend their internal communications after thousands of emails…
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Saturday, November 21st, 2009

As the contents of a hacked climate change unit’s server in Britain were exposed on the Internet Friday, the event had some of the scientists…
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Friday, November 20th, 2009

Britain’s Climate Research Unit, University of East Anglia, suffered a data breach in recent days when a hacker apparently broke into their…
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