Administration of the University of East Anglia’s Climactic Research Unit (CRU) has arranged an independent inquiry into the row created over hacking of the infamous trove of documents. The inquiry will clear whether there is any evidence of suppression or manipulation of data, and then make recommendations for future management of such sensitive data. The inquiry will cover events ranging from hacking of the university’s computer systems to possible abuse of UK’s Freedom of Information statutes. However, the Penn State University is yet to decide whether the investigation needs to be formal or not.
It all started when hundred of personal messages between the scientists of University of East Anglia’s Climactic Research Unit (CRU) were put on the internet, along with some other documents. The stolen electronic files include more than 1,000 e-mails and 3,000 documents, all taken from servers at the Climatic Research Unit In one such e-mail Phil Jones, the unit’s director, had written to a colleague that he would “hide” a problem with data from Siberian tree rings with more accurate local air temperature measurements. In another message, Jones had talked about keeping research he disagrees with out of a U.N. report, “even if we have to redefine what the peer-review literature is!”
Earlier, Dr Rajendra Pachauri, head of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), had admitted that the claims are serious and need to be investigated. “We certainly don’t want to brush anything under the carpet. This is a serious issue and we will look into it in detail.” said Dr. Pachauri. Critics of the scientific consensus claim that the e-mails undermine the case of greenhouse gas emissions from human activities causing global warming, and have dubbed the issue as “Climate Gate”.
Scientists should stick to science, and leave the political shit stirring to politicians, instead what has been revealed by these emails is an organised campaign by the climategate “scientists” to sex up the evidence and curtail academic freedom. In short we have a scientific cartel, even mafia, which brooks no opposition.
It doesn’t mean what they say is wrong, it just means we should take everything they say with a pinch of salt.