'Climategate' Investigation Clears U.S. Scientists

'Climategate' Investigation Clears U.S. Scientists

A new investigation into the 'Climategate' controversy has exonerated U.S. scientists of any wrongdoing. The probe was conducted by the U.S. Commerce Department's inspector general at the request of Sen. James Inhofe (R-Okla.).

In late 2009, thousands of emails leaked from the Climate Research Unit (CRU) at the University of East Anglia in the United Kingdom. In the days following, allegations spread that the emails -- exchanges between the world's leading climate scientists, including some at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) -- revealed the manipulation of scientific data in favor of manmade global warming. While the controversy, dubbed 'Climategate,' made huge headlines, the multiple investigations that have vindicated the scientists involved haven't had the same impact.

In March of 2010, the British House of Commons' Science and Technology committee released the results of their investigation into the scandal, revealing that nothing in the 1,000 emails conflicted with the scientific consensus that "global warming is happening and that it is induced by human activity." They concluded that the scientific reputation of the CRU "remains intact." Another independent investigation released in July similarly cleared the scientists, saying they were honest and their research was reliable.

The latest investigation by the U.S. Commerce Department was conducted after Inhofe requested an inquiry into the emails on May 26, 2010. The response, sent to Inhofe this past Friday, states:

In our review of the CRU emails, we did not find any evidence that NOAA inappropriately manipulated data comprising the [Global Historical Climatology Network] dataset or failed to adhere to appropriate peer review procedures.

CLICK HERE to view the full report.

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