New Climategate E-Mail? Posted by constraint

Posted 12/02/09

While I was sifting through some of the CRU emails at http://www.eastangliaemails.com/, I found this http://www.eastangliaemails.com/emails.php?eid=73&filename=907525054.txt. The e-mail is from Michael Prather, a professor at UC Irvine, discussing plans for delegating work regarding the Special Report on Emissions Scenarios in IPCC's Third Assessment Report.  This e-mail appears troubling for a couple of reasons.  First it says generally "We should not be adding new "volunteers" to calculate these forcings as has been suggested by last week's notes until we clearly agree on the rules/algorithms" which seems to be an instance of ideology directing research.  Of course, this in itself is not damning, but when discussing the treatment of emission observations the comment was made "So we will do as already stated 'make emissions match observations' but must be careful in the chapter to note this."  This statement makes much more explicit the case that the research is in fact ideologically led.  I however am no expert in this field and this particular e-mail is full of technical jargon.  I'm currently wondering how to get this to someone with more knowledge of the subject to review these statements in context to see if this is, in actuality, what it appears to be.

One of the most common defenses that I have seen involving climategate is that this was a small group of bullies causing trouble in an otherwise orderly upright community.  So far I have not seen Prof. Prather or UC Irvine mentioned in any of the coverage of this.  If there is more proof that more than just the core of this group has shown to value ideology over objectiveness then that particular defense would no longer hold water.