German radio station interviews leading German climate scientist
This link will pump the original German transcript through the Google auto-translate thingie so a click renders in English. The translation is plenty good enough that you can figure out what's being said.
...Another explanation could be that we have been the effect of greenhouse gas a bit overrated, that we therefore expect stronger warming. Or finally, that another factor participates here: You could, for example, because think of the sun or the like...
In fact the science appears to be pretty damned sketchy since this guy is grasping at any straw to explain how reality could deviate so far from the Holy model's predictions.
Curiously, he says to continue trusting models (gotta keep that phat grant cash flowing), then goes on to explain how not accounting for actuals maybe means some kinda/sorta/possibly crucial stuff is missing or wrong...but hey, trust us. Perhaps evil twin Keebler Elves were at work too...who knows?
Its not quite a walkback, but its a solid softening up laying the groundwork for a possible walkback if that proved unavoidable in the coming years.