More Leaked ClimateGate Emails Suggest Politics Reigned In "Science"

A few more of these. Some of these snippets are so blatant in showing bias I worry that they are, actually, taken out of context.

The emails paint a clear picture of scientists selectively using data, and colluding with politicians to misuse scientific information. ‘Humphrey’, said to work at Defra [UK's Department of Environment, Food, and Rural Affairs], writes: ‘I cannot overstate the HUGE amount of political interest in the project as a message that the government can give on climate change to help them tell their story.

'They want their story to be a very strong one and don’t want to be made to look foolish.’

Professor Phil Jones, director of the Climatic Research Unit at the centre of the affair, said the group findings did stand up to scrutiny.

Yet one of the newly released emails, written by Prof. Jones - who is working with the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) - said: 'Any work we have done in the past is done on the back of the research grants we get – and has to be well hidden.

'I’ve discussed this with the main funder (U.S. Dept of Energy) in the past and they are happy about not releasing the original station data.'

That's the one I worry about. It seems so blatant.

However, Jones has frequently before made "intellectual property" rights claims over the raw data, insistent that only he and his fellow cultists could examine the actual data. This could just be an advisory to always keep their Golden Goose hidden from outside observers.

Some scientists weren't completely comfortable with the deceptions:

One nervous scientist wrote: 'The figure you sent is very deceptive.'

'I also think the science is being manipulated to put a political spin on it which for all our sakes might not be too clever in the long run,' wrote another.

The lead author of one of the reports, Jonathan Overpeck, wrote, 'The trick may be to decide on the main message and use that to guide what’s included and what is left out.'

"Science" is always about political messages, and tailoring releases to buttress those messages. Duh.

A global warming believer, Clive Cook, has reportedly said:

'The closed-mindedness of these supposed men of science, their willingness to go to any lengths to defend a preconceived message, is surprising even to me.

'The stink of intellectual corruption is overpowering.'

Not so much to me anymore.

Thanks to Just the Tip.

posted by Ace at 04:54 PM

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