UK climate scientist to temporarily step down

[notesdev]

Source: AP

LONDON — Britain's University of East Anglia says the director of its prestigious Climatic Research Unit is stepping down pending an investigation into allegations that he overstated the case for man-made climate change.

The university says Phil Jones will relinquish his position until the completion of an independent review into allegations that he worked to alter the way in which global temperature data was presented.

The allegations were made after more than a decade of correspondence between leading British and U.S. scientists were posted to the Web following the security breach last month.

The e-mails were seized upon by some skeptics of man-made climate change as proof that scientists are manipulating the data about its extent.

Read more: http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5j_dt9Bjj5yVV7k1PAyDnVHKvKtgAD9CAM0VG0

[ananda]

1. This is so much like ACORN

and appears like a witchhunt to me.

[tabatha]

2. I welcome an investigation.

But, I bet, if he were exonerated, there will be people who will not believe it - just watch.
Prediction here.

[villager]

3. Guess he's packing his hair dryer to go melt some more polar ice!:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=115x219621

[NecklyTyler]

4. So the deniers are carving a notch in their gun tonight

This won't stop with Dr. Jones. The right wing deniers smell blood in the water and are out to ruin the reputation of as many good scientists as they can. Mr. 'no college degree' Watts is probably drinking out of two glasses right now

[unabelladonna]

5. isn't it possible he cooked the books?

and i don't understand why if i don't agree with the manmade aspects of global warming it makes me any less of a progressive. i've noticed how skeptics are treated in this forum. why is it a progressive vs. conservative issue? please explain how this has been politicized.

[Kingofalldems]

6. Politicized by the right. Please explain why Rush Limbaugh labels

scientists who warn of climate change as communists out to destroy America.

[unabelladonna]

8. he's an idiot?

i have no idea why he can't rely on scientific evidence, but i've found both progressives and rightwingers very shrill. we can't do everything at one time. i'm more concerned with immediate solutions for poverty or the war or jobs. we've got to prioritize, and i'm not sure we have the answers or if we can even do anything about the climate. in my world it would be sunny and 75 deg everyday. even though i live in florida, i know it isn't possible.

[Viking12]

14. Poverty, war, jobs are not unrelated to energy and climate issues

Isolating them into boxes isn't going to produce progress in any of those areas.

[FarrenH]

7. Its possible

not probable, however, on the strength of what's been published.

[Birthmark]

11. Nope.

1. There would be no reason, what with the warming actually occurring and all
2. Other climatologists using arrive at the same conclusions
3. Other scientists from other fields observe the effects of the warming

As a matter of fact, up until 2006 I was a skeptic. But I was a true skeptic. Once I looked at the actual scientific case for AGW, I was forced to conclude that the scientists were correct and adjusted my viewpoint accordingly.

The people you are talking about aren't skeptics. They are ignoring the overwhelming evidence. They are denialists. No amount of evidence is sufficient to convince them.

[Birthmark]

10. They'd better not make an actual notch...

...unless they have wood putty at hand to refill it. Better they just pencil sketch a notch in the unlikely event they have cause to put in a real notch. That way they'll be able to erase the sketch later and make believe later that nothing had ever happened. ;)

[Birthmark]

9. It's the honorable thing to do.

I expect that if Jones faces any real problem it will be due to personal issues rather than any scientific misconduct. In fact, I'd be astounded if any scientific wrongdoing occurred.

We will see.

[Steerpike]

12. Another event that muddies the waters.

Global climate change is a fact. The world is warming. And like the man said, "This is going to be one big shit sandwich...and we are all gonna have to take a bite."

[Doctor_J]

13. The Witch Hunt is off to a good start

I wonder how many real scientists will be run out of their jobs by Fox "News"

[JonQ]

16. Kind of the opposite of a witchhunt

In that the rational folks at the bottom are intensely interested in the goings on of the irrational and superstitious folks at the top of the situation.

And from what I've read very few could be called "real scientists" with a straight face.

Also, foxnews is not the biggest proponent of this by far, in fact most MSM sources have largely ignored what should be the biggest story of the year.

[JonQ]

15. Good

probably the right thing to do in this scenario.