There has been a lot of chatter about the e-mail cracked from the Climate Research Unit at the University of East Anglia (not to be confused with the Hadley Centre for Climate Prediction and Research at the UK Met Office in Exeter).
I would like to post abou it, but, I really can't comment.
Since PSU is involved in the issue and there is an ongoing inquiry into the issue, I can not comment: there is a slightest possibility anything I say could be considered in some sense official from PSU; or, prejudicial to the inquiry; or, biased, as I have some connection to some of the people involved.
There is some comment at Real Climate (ObDisclaimer - I wrote an article for RealClimate some years ago): specifically, here,
here and here/A>.
Accuweather has an online video interview with Michael Mann, professor at PSU
C'mon Stein. 'fess up like I did.
so, it was you eh...
well, I like to keep things on the liter side,
but in this case I must play it straight and narrow
Well, Steinn, save up your stories to spill, when they're done inquiring whether PSU conspired with thousands of scientists across scores of countries to fake zettabytes of data over hundreds of years, for the evil purpose of trying to make us worry about carbon dioxide emissions. Gee, I wonder what the answer will be. ;-)
PS--I've never used "zetta" in a sentence before.
Caught!
The answer is simple. To paraphrase Copernicus "It's the sun, ......!"
Perhaps your next zettabytes of wasted endeavour can be the construction of a large umbrella.
Sad, very sad.
So, remind us again how the Tenure system allows academics to speak freely and openly about controvercial issues without fear of reprisal?
Well,without tenure there wouldn't be what protection there is for the reseaechers involved. Tenure forces a much more formal process and a much more compelling reason for administration to resist political pressure.
Reason I don't want to comment more than I do is, as I said, because organizations I am involved in administratively are part of the process of any investigation, and even though I am very unlikely to be directly involved I don't want to risk tainting any process, given the stakes.