Financial Times:

Hacked e-mails spur climate data inquiry

By Clive Cookson in London

Published: December 4 2009 17:56 | Last updated: December 4 2009 17:56

The United Nations climate change panel is to investigate claims that scientists at the University of East Anglia in the UK manipulated data to support the case that human activity is driving global warming.

Rajendra Pachauri, head of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, said the claims, which led Phil Jones to stand aside temporarily as director of the university’s Climatic Research Unit (CRU) this week, needed investigation.
EDITOR’S CHOICE
In depth: Copenhagen climate conference - Dec-04
Global warming a ‘hoax’ - Dec-04
Opinion: Trade could hold the key to a climate deal - Dec-03
Rich nations under pressure on climate aid - Dec-03

“We certainly don’t want to brush anything under the carpet,” he said.

The row started last month when thousands of e-mails to and from the CRU were stolen by hackers and started appearing on climate sceptics’ websites. Sceptics have been vocal in their claims about “Climategate”.

The university denies data manipulation but has set up an independent review into leaked e-mails. Senior climate scientists insist that the e-mails do not affect the overwhelming evidence that human activity is causing global warming.

“We must step back from the furore and keep sight of the overwhelming evidence that the Earth is warming,” said Sir Brian Hoskins, director of the Grantham Institute for Climate Change at Imperial College London.

Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. You may share using our article tools. Please don't cut articles from FT.com and redistribute by email or post to the web.