CLIMATEGATE - 28 November 2009
When the Climatic Research Unit (CRU) at the University of East Anglia had some of its emails hacked into there was a bit of a shock for those who were convinced by the science concerning the warming of our planet. The emails suggested that there was a conspiracy to hide or distort the truth. This is at best worrying as the CRU provided much of the research which formed the basis of the United Nations document, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change report of 2007 which had such influence on the thinking of climate change. Little wonder that the scandal is being called 'Climategate'.
There has long been the view that scientists or commentators who do not conform to the view that the planet is doomed and that man is responsible for the change at best have a screw loose. One only has to watch BBCs Questions time to see what reaction such people receive as witnessed last week when the columnist Melanie Philips stated her views, at least David Davies, who lost out to David Cameron in the leadership of the Conservative Party had the courage to say that he was agnostic about the subject and did not follow the party line. Many scientists have had their lives threatened for daring to publish the results of their research and their thinking. Many of these scientists have had the funding for their research removed and reallocated to groups set up by governments to prove climate change is happening as the result of man.
Given the political response to Climate change and the impact their half baked policies are going to cost us these emails should encourage us all to at least pause and take stock, rather than the reaction demonstrated by David Miliband when Secretary of State for Environment commenting on Channels 4s ‘The Great Global Warming Swindle', on BBC Radio 4s Today programme where he said, "I didn't see the programme - but I promise you I will do a blog demolishing its contents." The reality is that for many Climate Change has become a fundamentalist religion. We are all aware of the problems that is causing in our world.
The emails are stark and do a great disservice to science and to us all:
"The fact is that we can't account for the lack of warming at the moment and it is a travesty that we can't."
"I've just completed Mike's trick of adding in the real temps to each series for the last 20 years (ie from 1981 onwards) and from 1961 to hide the decline."
In another email. Prof Phil Jones the director of the CRU said sceptics "have been after the CRU station data for years. If they ever hear there is a Freedom of Information Act now in the UK, I think I'll delete the file rather than send it to anyone". Strange, he has now admitted that he has "accidentally" deleted some of the raw data.
Another email said that the CRU method of collating data "renders the station counts totally meaningless... so, we can have a proper result, but only by including a load of garbage!"
According to the Telegraph the hacked emails are starting to have an impact around the world, mainly in the States and Australia although some commentators are stating that it will make no difference to most activists and politicians because they have invested too much into the theory.
No matter what is agreed in Copenhagen, the disagreements will go on. All I ask is that the arguments are based on scientific facts, accurate records over millions of years, and a commitment to find the truth, a respect for those who hold different views, and a lack of blind fundamentalism.
Anything that cleans up our world has to be welcome, but it has to be effective, achievable and economically effective. It also has to be honest.
