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MPs probe Climategate

If you can't stand the heat...

The UK Parliament will examine the 'Climategate' affair, probing issues raised by the public release of source code and correspondence from the University of East Anglia's Climatic Research Unit (CRU).

It sounds like the enquiry may have teeth. MPs will:

  1. Examine the hacked email exchanges, other relevant email exchanges and any other information held at CRU to determine whether there is any evidence of the manipulation or suppression of data which is at odds with acceptable scientific practice and may therefore call into question any of the research outcomes.
  2. Review CRU's policies and practices for acquiring, assembling, subjecting to peer review and disseminating data and research findings, and their compliance or otherwise with best scientific practice.
  3. Review CRU's compliance or otherwise with the University's policies and practices regarding requests under the Freedom of Information Act ('the FOIA') and the Environmental Information Regulations ('the EIR') for the release of data.
  4. Review and make recommendations as to the appropriate management, governance and security structures for CRU and the security, integrity and release of the data it holds.

And before you wags write in, remember that these are Commoners, not Peers, who will be Reviewing Peer Review.

Although dwarfed by the source code, the emails suggested researchers conniving to manipulate the peer-reviewed publication process (by excluding critics, bullying journal editors, and giving sympathetic papers the inside track), and delete evidence of this along with raw temperature data from FOIA requests.

Public submissions are welcome, with the details here. ®

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