IPCC Scientists Honest, More Transparency Needed
According to a recently released report, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) scientists are not guilty of the charges against them. Having reviewed the hacked e-mails, the independent commission concludes,
We find that their rigor and honesty as scientists are not in doubt.
That is not to say that improvements cannot be made. As we argued in March 2010, the commission strongly states,
The Review found an ethos of minimal compliance (and at times non-compliance) by the CRU with both the letter and the spirit of the [Freedom of Information Act] FoIA and [Environmental Impact Report] EIR. We believe that this must change and that leadership is required from the University‘s most senior staff in driving through a positive transformation of attitudes. Public trust in science depends on an inherent culture of honesty, rigour and transparency.
The requirements of FoIA and EIR must not be seen as impositions. They are a necessary part of the implicit contract between the scientist and broader society. Such an open culture will also lead to the best science.
Increased levels of transparency are certainly necessary — and must be achieved — within the field of climate science.
