by Christine Hall
November 20, 2009

Washington, D.C., November 20, 2009—Scientists engaged in major global warming research and data collection have waged and discussed an internal smear and data manipulation campaign targeting critics of catastrophic global warming predictions. This was revealed when unknown hackers this week broke into the database of the University of East Anglia’s Climatic Research Unit (CRU)—an academic institution that has for decades compiled raw climate science data. The CRU, embroiled in another recent scandal after it admitted deleting much of its raw data, has since acknowledged the authenticity of the hacked e-mails.

Statement by Myron Ebell, CEI Director of Energy and Global Warming Policy

The posting of private data files from the Climatic Research Unit in England reveals the sleazy, unseemly side of a number of the leading scientific proponents of global warming alarmism, including CRU Director Phil Jones, Michael Mann, Ben Santer, and Kevin Trenberth.  It is clear that some of the “world’s leading climate scientists,” as they are always described, are more dedicated to promoting the alarmist political agenda than in scientific research.  Some of the e-mails that I have read are blatant displays of personal pettiness, unethical conniving, and twisting the science to support their political position. 

Anyone who assumed that these so-called scientific authorities in the debate were providing the straight scientific facts is going to have to think again.  We have argued for many years that much of the scientific case for global warming alarmism was weak and some of it was phony.  It now looks like a lot of it may be phony.

Ø      See also: Statement by Christopher C. Horner, CEI Senior Fellow and author of Red Hot Lies: How Global Warming Alarmists Use Threats, Fraud and Deception to Keep You Misinformed, on BigGovernment.com. 

CEI is a non-profit, non-partisan public policy group dedicated to the principles of free enterprise and limited government.  For more information about CEI, please visit us at www.cei.org and Globalwarming.org.