What was the Climate Gate Scandal?

The Climate Gate Scandal has cast a dark shadow over the global warming community and people from all sides of the debate are throwing accusations at each other. Apparently, computer hackers got hold of some emails from the Climatic Research Unit at the University of East Anglia and posted them on the Internet. The emails are purported to show a conspiracy to falsify temperature data and destroy information rather than release it.

These emails have caused quite a stir. Those who have opposed global warming are gloating and saying, "I told you so," while those who advocate the theories are claiming that the emails were edited for the purpose of sabotage. They argue that the emails mention nothing about a hoax or conspiracy but mainly express dissatisfaction about how their work had been distorted and how they had to cope with what they considered hype and sensationalism. Some scientists are very competitive and it's not unusual when those with opposing theories deliberately badmouth each other.

Some words in the emails are said to have been misinterpreted. The word "trick" for instance is a term scientists often use to refer to a good way to deal with a problem. An example of this would be something like, "We need a good trick to pull this off," which a scientist would automatically understand to mean a solution to deal with the problem.

The official UEA released the following statement:

"We are aware that information from a server used for research information in one area of the university has been made available on public websites," the spokesman stated. "Because of the volume of this information we cannot currently confirm that all of this material is genuine. This information has been obtained and published without our permission and we took immediate action to remove the server in question from operation. We are undertaking a thorough internal investigation and we have involved the police in this inquiry."

What seems to escape all conversations associated with the Climate Gate scandal is the fact that hacking into someone's computer and posting private information is illegal, not to mention unethical. What kind of action will be taken against the hackers is not known at this point. If the emails turn out to be edited in any way, they will likely face serious charges.

The Climate Gate scandal has greatly stimulated global warming opposition who consider the hackers whistleblowers. These are the ones who assert that high profile scientists like James Hansen and Michael Mann are conspirators who distort science for political gain.

Patrick J. Michaels, a climatologist and BMI adviser, said, "This isn't a smoking gun, it's a mushroom cloud."

The implications of these emails are enormous. If the IPCC is not a reliable source of science on global warming then who is? The experts they once trusted appear to have been caught red-handed trying to suppress any information that contradicts their own predictions.

The climate Gate scandal is being investigated but the question that a number of people are now asking is, can we trust the findings?

Trust is extremely difficult to regain once it has been lost. If these scientists are found guilty of what they are being accused of, how can people trust any of them to be telling the truth? It is well known that big oil corporations and other deep-pocket enterprises know how to get their way and it would be no surprise to learn that they had a hand in this Climate Gate scandal.

Governments around the world are being scrutinized by their citizens a lot these days as there seems to be a number of things lurking in the background of many high-ranking politicians. Contrary to what some governments believe, we're not idiots.

Interesting Reading:

Global Warming: Fact or Fiction?
Is Global Warming a Hoax?
Global Warming: Environmental Effects