Boxer wants climate e-mail hacking probed

[The Straight Story]

Boxer wants climate e-mail hacking probed


WASHINGTON, Dec. 2 (UPI) -- The leaking of e-mails purporting to undermine climate change theories should be criminally investigated, Sen. Barbara Boxer, D-Calif., said Wednesday.

The e-mails, written by British scientists at the University of East Anglia, were obtained by hackers and show the director of the university's Climate Research Unit talking about ways to strengthen the proofs for global warming, The Hill newspaper reported.

Critics of climate change point to the e-mails as evidence of deceit in global warming theories.

"You call it 'Climategate'; I call it 'E-mail-theft-gate,'" Boxer, the top Democrat on the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, said during a committee meeting. "The main issue is, 'Are we facing global warming or are we not?' I'm looking at these e-mails, that even though they were stolen, are now out in the public."

http://www.upi.com/Top_News/US/2009/12/02/Boxer-wants-climate-e-mail-hacking-probed/UPI-76431259797633/

[doc03]

1. I am much more concerned about the climate change

being a hoax. If this truly does expose the climate change as hoax I think whoever and however the information was obtained is insignificant. If this climate change does turn out to be a hoax I want to see the culprits prosecuted.

[alc]

2. It doesn't have to be a hoax to be wrong

I think the scientists sincerely believe in AGW and did what they could to convince others. That included getting away from "good" science (e.g. sharing data and methods as well as results, and allowing alternate theories, and being honest with themselves and transparent with others about which adjustments are valid and which they throw out) and politicizing the science (e.g. using press releases and exaggerating results for maximum effect on the public and politicians, fixing the peer-review process, etc)

And, while I think the current results are wrong, they may just be exaggerated. Skeptics can't just put it behind us (and certainly shouldn't gloat). All scientists need to work together and fix the science and figure out the truth (which may be what we've been told and may be nothing and probably somewhere in between, but we don't know either way now)