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| Climatic Research Unit email controversy | |
|---|---|
| Title | Climatic Research Unit email controversy |
| Date | 2009 |
| Place | University of East Anglia |
| Participants | Phil Jones, Michael E. Mann, Tom Wigley, Keith Briffa, Philip Jones, David R. Brill, Brendan G. McWilliams |
| Outcome | Multiple inquiries; debates over data sharing and methodology |
Climatic Research Unit email controversy
The Climatic Research Unit email controversy emerged in 2009 after a dataset and private communications at the University of East Anglia were published, prompting scrutiny from scientific bodies, government panels, media outlets, and legal entities. The episode affected discussions involving researchers from institutions such as the University of East Anglia, Pennsylvania State University, University of Exeter, Met Office Hadley Centre, and NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies, and intersected with policy debates in forums including the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and the United Kingdom Parliament.
The controversy centered on the Climatic Research Unit at the University of East Anglia, a centre notable for paleoclimate work using proxy records from tree rings, ice cores, coral reefs, and instrumental datasets compiled by organisations like the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, National Aeronautics and Space Administration, and the Hadley Centre. Key researchers involved included Phil Jones, Michael E. Mann, Keith Briffa, and Tom Wigley, whose collaborations connected to projects funded by agencies such as the Natural Environment Research Council, National Science Foundation, and the European Commission. Prior debates over temperature reconstructions, including the so-called hockey stick controversy, had already linked figures like Michael E. Mann to inquiries by bodies such as the United States Congress and the National Academy of Sciences.
In November 2009 individuals released a large collection of emails and data files associated with the Climatic Research Unit to bloggers and media. The material surfaced concurrently with the 2009 United Nations Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen, influencing negotiators from delegations including United States, China, European Union institutions, and national representatives. Subsequent actions included requests for investigations from members of the United Kingdom Parliament and inquiries by institutions like the University of East Anglia, the Science and Technology Committee (House of Commons), and independent panels.
The leaked material comprised correspondence among scientists including Phil Jones, Michael E. Mann, Tom Wigley, Keith Briffa, Raymond S. Bradley, Malcolm K. Hughes, and others, as well as data from networks associated with International Tree-Ring Data Bank repositories. Select messages discussed proxy selection, statistical approaches linked to methods published in journals such as Nature (journal), Science (journal), and Geophysical Research Letters. Critics highlighted phrases that were framed in political narratives by commentators from outlets like The Daily Mail, The Telegraph, and broadcasters including the BBC. Supporters pointed to clarified methodological issues previously debated in academic forums including the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences and statements from organisations such as the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.
Multiple investigations were launched by bodies including the University of East Anglia, the House of Commons Science and Technology Committee, the UK Information Commissioner's Office, and panels convened by the Met Office, the Royal Society, and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Internationally, reviews by the Pennsylvania State University and reviews requested by legislators in the United States Senate engaged institutions like the National Research Council and the National Academy of Sciences. Outcomes ranged from exonerations of research integrity by some inquiries to recommendations about data archiving and transparency by others, prompting policy responses from funders such as the Natural Environment Research Council and procedural changes at universities.
The disclosures intensified scrutiny of paleoclimate reconstructions, impacting researchers at University of East Anglia, Pennsylvania State University, University of Nottingham, and University of Cambridge who used proxies from tree ring chronology networks and instrumental compilations like the HadCRUT dataset. Scientific discourse in journals such as Nature Climate Change, Journal of Climate, and Climatic Change (journal) addressed reproducibility, metadata standards, and code availability, while organisations including the Royal Society and the American Geophysical Union issued statements on best practices. Public trust debates spilled into parliaments and international negotiations, affecting positions held by delegations at Copenhagen Accord discussions and feeding advocacy by groups including Greenpeace and Friends of the Earth as well as sceptical think tanks like the Global Warming Policy Foundation.
Legal disputes involved freedom of information requests, data ownership, and allegations of withholding materials related to temperature records; actors in these disputes included the Information Commissioner's Office and litigants represented before tribunals in the United Kingdom. Ethical debates considered professional conduct codes upheld by learned societies such as the Royal Meteorological Society and the Royal Society, university policies at institutions like the University of East Anglia and Pennsylvania State University, and the responsibilities of researchers collaborating across repositories such as the International Tree-Ring Data Bank and the World Data Center for Paleoclimatology.
Media coverage spanned broadsheets like The Guardian (London), The Times (London), The New York Times, and The Wall Street Journal, tabloid reporting by Daily Mail, broadcast segments on the BBC, CNN, and Fox News Channel, and analysis by online platforms such as RealClimate and sceptical blogs aligned with commentators from think tanks like the Heritage Foundation. Political responses included statements and questions in the United Kingdom Parliament, hearings in the United States House of Representatives, and commentary from officials in cabinets across European Union member states, influencing public policy debates connected to meetings under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change.
Category:Climate change controversies