View source for Climatic Research Unit email controversy

{{short description|2009 controversy}}
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{{Use British English|date=August 2011}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=November 2018}}
{{Infobox news event
| image =
| caption = The [[Hubert Lamb]] Building, which houses the Climatic Research Unit
| date = 17 November 2009
| time =
| place = [[Climatic Research Unit]], [[University of East Anglia]]
| also known as = "Climate[[List of scandals with "-gate" suffix|gate]]"
| first reporter =
| filmed by =
| participants =
| reported property damage =
| inquiries = House of Commons Science and Technology Committee (UK)<ref>{{cite book|author=Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change|url=http://www.official-documents.gov.uk/document/cm79/7934/7934.pdf|title=Government Response to the House of Commons Science and Technology 8th Report of Session 2009–10: The disclosure of climate data from the Climatic Research Unit at the University of East Anglia|date=28 September 2010|publisher=The Stationery Office|isbn=978-0-10-179342-1|author-link=Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change|access-date=14 October 2010|archive-date=5 July 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130705091539/http://www.official-documents.gov.uk/document/cm79/7934/7934.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref><br />Independent Climate Change Email Review (UK)<br />International Science Assessment Panel (UK)<br />Pennsylvania State University (US)<br />United States Environmental Protection Agency (US)<br />Department of Commerce (US)
| verdict = Exoneration or withdrawal of all major or serious charges <!-- One of the FOIA charges was withdrawn, rather than being "resolved" -->
}}

The '''Climatic Research Unit email controversy''' (also known as "'''Climategate'''")<ref>{{cite journal |last=Chameides |first=Bill |url=http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=climategate-redux |title=Climategate Redux |journal=Scientific American |date=30 August 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131203205308/http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=climategate-redux |archive-date=3 December 2013 }}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |title=Editorial: Closing the Climategate |journal=Nature |volume=468 |issue=345 |date=2010 |page=345 |doi=10.1038/468345a |pmid=21085128 |bibcode=2010Natur.468..345. |url=https://www.nature.com/articles/468345a}}</ref> began in November 2009 with the [[hack (computer security)|hacking]] of a server at the [[Climatic Research Unit]] (CRU) at the [[University of East Anglia]] (UEA) by an external attacker,<ref>Pooley 2010, p. 425: "Climategate broke in November, when a cache of e-mails was hacked from a server at the Climatic Research Unit (CRU) of the University of East Anglia in Norwich, England." See: {{cite book |last=Pooley |first=Eric |date=2010 |title=The Climate War: True Believers, Power Brokers, and the Fight to Save the Earth' |publisher=Hyperion Books |isbn=978-1-4013-2326-4 |postscript=;}} Karatzogianni 2010: "Most media representations of the Climategate hack linked the events to other incidents in the past, suggesting a consistent narrative frame which blames the attacks on Russian hackers... Although the Climategate material was uploaded on various servers in Turkey and Saudi Arabia before ending up in Tomsk in Siberia..." Extensive discussion about the media coverage of hacking and climategate in Karatzogianni, Athina. (2010). "[http://www.digitalicons.org/issue04/athina-karatzogianni/ Blame it on the Russians: Tracking the Portrayal of Russians During Cyber conflict Incidents] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151001181126/http://www.digitalicons.org/issue04/athina-karatzogianni/ |date=1 October 2015 }}". ''Digital Icons: Studies in Russian, Eurasian and Central European New Media''. 4: 128–150. {{issn|2043-7633}}.</ref><ref name="Norfolk Police"/> copying thousands of emails and computer files (the [[Climatic Research Unit documents]]) to various internet locations several weeks before the [[2009 United Nations Climate Change Conference|Copenhagen Summit]] on climate change.

The story was first broken by [[climate change denial]]ists,<ref name="Leiserowitz"/><ref name="McKie 10 yrs">{{cite web | last=McKie | first=Robin | title=Climategate 10 years on: what lessons have we learned? | website=The Guardian | date=9 November 2019 | url=http://www.theguardian.com/theobserver/2019/nov/09/climategate-10-years-on-what-lessons-have-we-learned | access-date=21 May 2020 | archive-date=4 July 2021 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210704151205/https://www.theguardian.com/theobserver/2019/nov/09/climategate-10-years-on-what-lessons-have-we-learned | url-status=live }}</ref> who argued that the emails showed that [[Global warming conspiracy theory|global warming was a scientific conspiracy]] and that scientists manipulated climate data and attempted to suppress critics.<ref name="HickmanRanderson2009-11-20" /><ref>Somaiya, Ravi (7 July 2010). "[http://www.newsweek.com/2010/07/07/third-enquiry-clears-climategate-scientists-of-serious-wrongdoing.html Third Inquiry Clears 'Climategate' Scientists of Serious Wrongdoing] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110121195828/http://www.newsweek.com/2010/07/07/third-enquiry-clears-climategate-scientists-of-serious-wrongdoing.html |date=21 January 2011 }}". ''Newsweek''. Retrieved 15 May 2011. "For [[climate sceptics|sceptics]], the 1,000 or so e-mails and documents hacked last year from the Climactic {{sic}} Research Unit of the University of East Anglia (UEA), in England, establish that global warming is a scientific conspiracy ... Climategate, now a firmly established "gate," will probably continue to be cited as evidence of a global-warming conspiracy";<br>Efstathiou Jr., Jim; Alex Morales (2 December 2009). "[http://www.livemint.com/2009/12/02213834/UK-climate-scientist-steps-dow.html UK climate scientist steps down after email flap] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111129223555/http://www.livemint.com/2009/12/02213834/UK-climate-scientist-steps-dow.html |date=29 November 2011 }}". ''Bloomberg''. [[Mint (newspaper)|LiveMint]]. Retrieved 15 May 2011. "The emails, dating back as far as 1996, have been cited by sceptics of man's contribution to global warming as evidence of a conspiracy to manipulate data to support research... They're conspiring to keep papers out of published journals," [[Marc Morano]], a [[climate sceptic]] who is editor of a website on the issue, said referring to the emails in a 24 November interview. "You see them as nothing more than a bunch of activists manufacturing science for a political goal."</ref> The CRU rejected this, saying that the emails had been taken out of context.<ref>{{cite news |last=Eilperin |first=Juliet |title=Hackers steal electronic data from top climate research center |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/11/20/AR2009112004093.html |newspaper=The Washington Post |date=21 November 2009 |access-date=22 August 2017 |archive-date=15 May 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170515070110/http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/11/20/AR2009112004093.html |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Sceptics publish climate e-mails 'stolen from East Anglia University' |last=Webster |first=Ben |url=https://www.thetimes.com/uk/crime/article/sceptics-publish-climate-e-mails-stolen-from-east-anglia-university-0rpdc6kgg3c |work=[[The Times]] |date=21 November 2009 |location=London |access-date=21 November 2019 |archive-date=3 August 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200803012838/https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/sceptics-publish-climate-e-mails-stolen-from-east-anglia-university-0rpdc6kgg3c |url-status=live }}</ref> [[FactCheck.org]] reported that climate change deniers misrepresented the contents of the emails.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Henig|first=Jess|date=2009-12-10|title=Climategate|url=https://www.factcheck.org/2009/12/climategate/|access-date=2020-06-21|website=FactCheck.org|language=en-US|archive-date=27 July 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210727151146/https://www.factcheck.org/2009/12/climategate/|url-status=live}}</ref>  Columnist [[James Delingpole]] popularised the term "Climategate" to describe the controversy.<ref name="Delingpole1"/>

The mainstream media picked up the story, as negotiations over [[climate change mitigation]] began in Copenhagen on 7{{nbsp}}December 2009.<ref name="Fox1"/> Because of the timing, scientists, policy makers and public relations experts said that the release of emails was a [[smear campaign]] intended to undermine the climate conference.<ref>Winter, Brian (25 November 2009) "[https://www.usatoday.com/news/world/2009-11-24-copenhagen-united-nations-emails_N.htm "Scientist: Leaked climate e-mails a distraction"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120105113757/http://www.usatoday.com/news/world/2009-11-24-copenhagen-united-nations-emails_N.htm |date=5 January 2012 }}. ''USA Today''. Retrieved 12 May 2011. "A controversy over leaked e-mails exchanged among global warming scientists is part of a 'smear campaign' to derail next month's United Nations climate summit in Copenhagen, one of the scientists, meteorologist Michael Mann, said Tuesday...[[Climate change sceptics]] 'don't have the science on their side any more, so they've resorted to a smear campaign to distract the public from the reality of the problem and the need to confront it head-on in Copenhagen' said Mann";<br>
Feldman, Stacy (25 November 2009). "[https://www.reuters.com/article/us-solveclimate-skeptics-idUSTRE5AO4TW20091125 Hacked climate emails called a "smear campaign"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210729110812/https://www.reuters.com/article/us-solveclimate-skeptics-idUSTRE5AO4TW20091125 |date=29 July 2021 }}. ''Reuters''. Retrieved 15 May 2011. "Three leading scientists who on Tuesday released a report documenting the accelerating pace of climate change said the scandal that erupted last week over hacked emails from climate scientists is nothing more than a "smear campaign" aimed at sabotaging December climate talks in Copenhagen"; Carrington, Damian;<br>
Suzanne Goldenberg (4 December 2009). "[https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2009/dec/04/flat-earth-climate-change-copenhagen Gordon Brown attacks 'flat-earth' climate change sceptics] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161201230230/https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2009/dec/04/flat-earth-climate-change-copenhagen |date=1 December 2016 }}". ''guardian.co.uk''. Retrieved 15 May 2011. "On the eve of the Copenhagen summit, Saudi Arabia and Republican members of the US Congress have used the emails to claim the need for urgent action to cut carbon emissions has been undermined...The concern for some of those attempting to drive through a global deal is that the [[climate sceptics|sceptics]] will delay critical decisions by casting doubt over the science at a time when momentum has been gathering towards a historic agreement...'The [[climate sceptics|sceptics]] have clearly seized upon this as an incident that they can use to their own ends in trying to disrupt the Copenhagen agreements,' said Bob Watson, Defra chief scientist and former head of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change";<br>
Fimrite, Peter (5 December 2009). "[http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/12/05/MNRL1AV3Q1.DTL Hacked climate e-mail rebutted by scientists] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110716025948/http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=%2Fc%2Fa%2F2009%2F12%2F05%2FMNRL1AV3Q1.DTL |date=16 July 2011 }}". ''San Francisco Chronicle''. Retrieved 12 May 2011. "A group of the nation's top scientists defended research on global climate change Friday against what they called a politically motivated smear campaign designed to foster public doubt about irrefutable scientific facts...'They have engaged in this 11th-hour smear campaign where they have stolen personal e-mails from scientists, mined them for single words or phrases that can be taken out of context to twist their words and I think this is rather telling,' Mann said";<br>
Carrington, Damian (28 October 2010). "[https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2010/oct/28/ipcc-climate-science-attacks-tobacco?mobile-redirect=false IPCC vice-chair: Attacks on climate science echo tobacco industry tactics] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160923005709/https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2010/oct/28/ipcc-climate-science-attacks-tobacco?mobile-redirect=false |date=23 September 2016 }}". ''The Guardian''. Retrieved 13 May 2011. "The attacks on climate science that were made ahead of the Copenhagen climate change summit were 'organised' to undermine efforts to tackle global warming and mirror the earlier tactics of the tobacco industry, according to the vice-chair of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)... 'It is a very similar process to what the tobacco industry was doing 30 or 40 years ago, when they wanted to delay legislation, and that is the result of research – not my subjective evaluation – by Prof Naomi Oreskes and Erik Conway.' Oreskes, a science historian at the University of California San Diego, told ''The Guardian'' she agreed with Van Ypersele's that the attacks on climate science were organised: 'Many of us were expecting something to happen in the run-up [to Copenhagen]. When it happened, the only thing that surprised me was that, compared with the events we documented in our book, the attacks had crossed the line into illegality.'"</ref> In response to the controversy, the [[American Association for the Advancement of Science]] (AAAS), the [[American Meteorological Society]] (AMS) and the [[Union of Concerned Scientists]] (UCS) released statements supporting the scientific consensus that the [[Earth]]'s mean surface temperature had been rising for decades, with the AAAS concluding: "based on multiple lines of scientific evidence that global climate change caused by human activities is now underway... it is a growing threat to society".<ref>Henig, Jess (2009). "[http://www.newsweek.com/2009/12/10/climategate.html FactCheck: Climategate Doesn't Refute Global Warming] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160617032619/http://www.newsweek.com/2009/12/10/climategate.html |date=17 June 2016 }}". ''Newsweek''. 11 December.</ref>

Eight committees investigated the allegations and published reports, finding no evidence of fraud or scientific misconduct.<ref name="6committees">The eight major investigations covered by secondary sources include: [http://www.deccanherald.com/content/61233/uk-climategate-inquiry-largely-clears.html House of Commons Science and Technology Committee] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211104133523/https://www.deccanherald.com/content/61233/uk-climategate-inquiry-largely-clears.html |date=4 November 2021 }} (UK); [https://www.nytimes.com/2010/07/08/science/earth/08climate.html Independent Climate Change Review] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211104123924/https://www.nytimes.com/2010/07/08/science/earth/08climate.html |date=4 November 2021 }} (UK); [http://news.sciencemag.org/scienceinsider/2010/04/oxburgh-report-clears-controvers.html International Science Assessment Panel] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130509041910/http://news.sciencemag.org/scienceinsider/2010/04/oxburgh-report-clears-controvers.html |date=9 May 2013 }} (UK); [https://web.archive.org/web/20100704031346/http://views.washingtonpost.com/climate-change/post-carbon/2010/07/by_juliet_eilperin_a_pennsylvania.html Pennsylvania State University] [http://news.sciencemag.org/scienceinsider/2010/02/climate-scienti-1.html first panel] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100925191452/http://news.sciencemag.org/scienceinsider/2010/02/climate-scienti-1.html |date=25 September 2010 }} and [http://news.sciencemag.org/scienceinsider/2010/07/michael-mann-exonerated-as-penn.html second panel] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120130074750/http://news.sciencemag.org/scienceinsider/2010/07/michael-mann-exonerated-as-penn.html |date=30 January 2012 }} (US); [https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-essex-10899538 United States Environmental Protection Agency] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211031172545/https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-essex-10899538 |date=31 October 2021 }} (US); [https://www.cbc.ca/news/science/u-s-scientists-cleared-in-climategate-1.1031242 Department of Commerce]  (US); [https://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-08-22/climate-change-scientist-cleared-in-u-s-data-altering-inquiry.html National Science Foundation]  (US).</ref> The [[Scientific opinion on climate change|scientific consensus that global warming is occurring]] as a result of [[Human impact on the environment|human activity]] remained unchanged throughout the investigations.<ref name="scientificamerican">{{cite journal |last=Biello |first=David |date=February 2010 |title=Negating 'Climategate |journal=Scientific American |volume=302 |issue=2 |page=16 |pmid=20128212 |doi=10.1038/scientificamerican0210-16a |doi-broken-date=9 June 2025 |bibcode=2010SciAm.302b..16B |quote=In fact, nothing in the stolen material undermines the scientific consensus that climate change is happening and that humans are to blame}}<br>
See also: Lubchenco, Jane (2 December 2009) House Select Committee on Energy Independence and Global Warming (House Select Committee). "[http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/CHRG-111hhrg62520/html/CHRG-111hhrg62520.htm The Administration's View on the State of Climate Science] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181107145453/https://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/CHRG-111hhrg62520/html/CHRG-111hhrg62520.htm |date=7 November 2018 }}". House Hearing, 111 Congress. U.S. Government Printing Office. "...the e-mails really do nothing to undermine the very strong scientific consensus and the independent scientific analyses of thousands of scientists around the world that tell us that the Earth is warming and that the warming is largely a result of human activities." As quoted in the report published by [https://web.archive.org/web/20110330133202/http://www.oig.doc.gov/OIGPublications/2011.02.18_IG_to_Inhofe.pdf Office of Inspector General].</ref>

== Timeline of the initial incident ==

The incident began when a server used by the Climatic Research Unit was breached in "a sophisticated and carefully orchestrated attack",<ref name="Norfolk Police"/> and 160&nbsp;{{abbr|MB|megabytes}} of data<ref name="HickmanRanderson2009-11-20" /> were obtained including more than 1,000 emails and 3,000 other documents.<ref name="WaPo 21 Nov" /> The University of East Anglia stated that the server from which the data were taken was not one that could be accessed easily, and that the data could not have been released inadvertently.<ref name="NEN 1 Dec" /> Norfolk Police later added that the offenders used methods that are common in unlawful internet activity, designed to obstruct later enquiries.<ref name="Norfolk Police"/> The breach was first discovered on 17 November 2009 after the server of the [[RealClimate]] website was also hacked and a copy of the stolen data was uploaded there.<ref name="Revkin2009-11-20" /> RealClimate's [[Gavin Schmidt]] said that he had information that the files had been obtained through "a hack into [CRU's] backup mail server".<ref name="Arthur-Hacking into" /> At about the same time, a short comment appeared on climate sceptic [[Stephen McIntyre]]'s [[Climate Audit]] website saying that "A miracle has happened."<ref name="Climate emails"/>

On 19 November, an archive file containing the data was copied to numerous locations across the Internet.<ref name="HickmanRanderson2009-11-20" /> An [[anonymous post]] from a Saudi Arabian [[IP address]]<ref name="timesonline20091206" /> to the [[Global warming controversy|climate-sceptic]] blog ''The Air Vent''<ref name="Revkin2009-11-20" /> described the material as "a random selection of correspondence, code, and documents", adding that climate science is "too important to be kept under wraps".<ref name="Webster2009-11-21" /> That same day, McIntyre was forwarded an internal email sent to UEA staff warning that "[[climate change sceptics]]" had obtained a "large volume of files and emails". Charles Rotter, moderator of the climate-sceptic blog ''[[Watts Up With That]]'', which had been the first to get a link and download the files, gave a copy to his flatmate Steve Mosher. Mosher received a posting from the hacker complaining that nothing was happening and replied: "A lot is happening behind the scenes. It is not being ignored. Much is being coordinated among major players and the media. Thank you very much. You will notice the beginnings of activity on other sites now. Here soon to follow." Shortly afterwards, the emails began to be widely publicised on climate-[[climate sceptics|sceptics]] blogs.<ref name="Climate emails">{{cite news | title = Climate emails: were they really hacked or just sitting in cyberspace? | url = https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2010/feb/04/climate-change-email-hacker-police-investigation |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130909112253/http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2010/feb/04/climate-change-email-hacker-police-investigation |archive-date=9 September 2013|last1 = Arthur | first1 = Charles | last2 = Evans | first2 = Rob | last3 = Leigh | first3 = David | last4 = Pearce | first4 = Evans | date = 4 February 2010 | work=The Guardian | location=London}}</ref> On 20 November, the story emerged in mainstream media.<ref name="HickmanRanderson2009-11-20" />

[[Norfolk Constabulary|Norfolk police]] subsequently confirmed that they were "investigating criminal offences in relation to a data breach at the University of East Anglia" with the assistance of the Metropolitan Police [[Organisation and structure of the Metropolitan Police Service#Gangs and Organised Crime|Central e-Crime unit]], the [[Information Commissioner's Office]] (ICO), and the [[National Domestic Extremism Team]] (NDET).<ref name="NEN 11 Jan" /> Commenting on the involvement of the NDET, a spokesman said: "At present we have two police officers assisting Norfolk with their investigation, and we have also provided computer forensic expertise. While this is not strictly a domestic extremism matter, as a national police unit we had the expertise and resource to assist with this investigation, as well as good background knowledge of climate change issues in relation to criminal investigations." However, the police cautioned that "major investigations of this nature are of necessity very detailed and as a consequence can take time to reach a conclusion".<ref name="BBC 11 Jan" /> On 18 July 2012, the Norfolk police finally decided to close its investigation because they did not have a "realistic prospect of identifying the offender or offenders and launching criminal proceedings within the time constraints imposed by law". They also said that the attack had been carried out "remotely via the internet", and that there was "no evidence to suggest that anyone working at or associated with the University of East Anglia was involved in the crime".<ref name="Norfolk Police">{{cite web|url=http://www.norfolk.police.uk/newsevents/newsstories/2012/july/ueadatabreachinvestigation.aspx |title=Police closes UEA investigation |last=Norfolk Constabulary |date=18 July 2012 |access-date=18 July 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120719071718/http://www.norfolk.police.uk/newsevents/newsstories/2012/july/ueadatabreachinvestigation.aspx |archive-date=19 July 2012 }}</ref>

== Content of the documents ==
{{further|Climatic Research Unit documents}}

The material comprised more than 1,000 emails, 2,000 documents, as well as [[Comment (computer programming)|commented]] [[source code]] pertaining to [[climate-change]] research, covering the period from 1996 to 2009.<ref name="Reuters_23_Nov" /> According to an analysis in ''[[The Guardian]]'', the vast majority of the emails were from or to four climatologists: [[Phil Jones (climatologist)|Phil Jones]], the head of the CRU; [[Keith Briffa]], a CRU climatologist specialising in [[tree ring analysis]]; Tim Osborn, a climate modeller at CRU; and [[Mike Hulme]], director of the [[Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research]]. The four were either recipients or originators of all but 66 of the 1,073 emails, with most of the remainder of the emails being sent from mailing lists. A few other emails were sent by, or to, other staff at the CRU. Jones, Briffa, Osborn and Hulme had written high-profile scientific papers on climate change that had been cited in reports by the [[Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change]].<ref name="Arthur-Hacking into" />

Most of the emails concerned technical and mundane aspects of climate research, such as data analysis and details of scientific conferences.<ref name="Flam2009-12_08" /> ''The Guardian's'' analysis of the emails suggests that the hacker had filtered them. Four scientists were targeted and a concordance plot shows that the words "data", "climate", "paper", "research", "temperature" and "model" were predominant.<ref name="Arthur-Hacking into">{{cite news | url = https://www.theguardian.com/environment/blog/2010/feb/05/cru-climate-change-hacker | title = Hacking into the mind of the CRU climate change hacker | last = Arthur | first = Charles | date = 5 February 2010 | work = [[The Guardian]] | access-date = 19 April 2011 | archive-date = 21 April 2021 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20210421233813/http://www.theguardian.com/environment/blog/2010/feb/05/cru-climate-change-hacker | url-status = live }}</ref> The controversy has focused on a small number of emails<ref name="Flam2009-12_08" /> with [[climate change denial|climate change denier]] websites picking out particular phrases, such as one in which [[Kevin Trenberth]] said, "The fact is that we can't account for the lack of warming at the moment and it is a travesty that we can't".<ref name = "Revkin2009-11-20" /> This was actually part of a discussion on the need for better monitoring of the energy flows involved in short-term climate variability,<ref name="Trenberth-NCAR" /> but was grossly mischaracterised by critics.<ref name="EPA 1.2.2.2" /><ref name="Guardian 9 Feb part2" />

{{wikt|trick of the trade}}
The most quoted email was one in which Phil Jones said that he had used "Mike's ''[[Nature (journal)|Nature]]'' trick" when preparing a graph as a 1999 cover illustration for the [[World Meteorological Organization]] "to hide the decline" in reconstructions based on tree-ring [[Proxy (climate)|proxy data]] post-1960, when measured temperatures were actually rising. The "trick" was a technique to combine [[instrumental temperature record]] data with long term reconstructions, and "the decline" referred to the tree-ring [[divergence problem]],<ref name="UEA 24 Nov">{{Cite web|url=http://www.uea.ac.uk/mac/comm/media/press/2009/nov/CRUupdate |title=CRU update 2 |publisher=University of East Anglia |date=2009-11-24 |access-date=2009-12-08|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091211100253/http://www.uea.ac.uk/mac/comm/media/press/2009/nov/CRUupdate|archive-date=2009-12-11}}</ref> which had already been openly discussed in scientific papers,<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Jacoby|first1=Gordon C.|last2=D'Arrigo|first2=Rosanne D.|author-link2=Rosanne D'Arrigo|date=1995|title=Tree ring width and density evidence of climatic and potential forest change in Alaska|url=http://doi.wiley.com/10.1029/95GB00321|journal=Global Biogeochemical Cycles|language=en|volume=9|issue=2|pages=227–234|doi=10.1029/95GB00321|bibcode=1995GBioC...9..227J|url-access=subscription}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal|last=Taubes|first=Gary|date=1995|title=Is a Warmer Climate Wilting the Forests of the North?|url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/2886731|journal=Science|volume=267|issue=5204|pages=1595|doi=10.1126/science.267.5204.1595|jstor=2886731|pmid=17808119|bibcode=1995Sci...267.1595T|s2cid=39083329 |url-access=subscription}}</ref> but these two phrases were taken out of context by commentators promoting [[climate change denial]], including US Senator [[Jim Inhofe]] and former Governor of Alaska [[Sarah Palin]], as though the phrases referred to some decline in measured global temperatures, even though they came from an email written at a time when temperatures were at a record high.<ref name="Guardian 9 Feb part2" />

[[John Tierney (journalist)|John Tierney]], writing in ''The New York Times'' in November 2009, said that the claims by sceptics of "hoax" or "fraud" were incorrect, but that the graph on the cover of a report for policy makers and journalists did not show these non-experts where proxy measurements changed to measured temperatures.<ref name=Tierney/> The final analyses from various subsequent inquiries concluded that in this context "trick" was normal scientific or mathematical jargon for a neat way of handling data, in this case a [[statistical method]] used to bring two or more different kinds of data sets together in a legitimate fashion.<ref name="Randerson2010-03-31" /><ref name="PSU Findings" /> The EPA notes that in fact, the evidence shows that the research community was fully aware of these issues and that no one was hiding or concealing them.<ref name="EPA 1.1.4" />

An Associated Press review of the emails concluded that they showed scientists fending off critics, stating that "One of the most disturbing elements suggests an effort to avoid sharing scientific data with critics skeptical of global warming", and mentioned ethical problems with this action due to the fact that "free access to data is important so others can repeat experiments as part of the scientific method". They cited a science policy expert as stating that it was "normal science politics, but on the extreme end, though still within bounds".<ref name="ap_2009-12-12" />

== Responses ==
In the United States, former Republican [[House Science Committee]] chairman [[Sherwood Boehlert]] called the attacks a "manufactured distraction", and ''Newsweek'' and ''The New York Times'' described the dispute as a "highly orchestrated" and [[manufactured controversy]]. Concerns about the media's role in promoting early allegations while also minimising later coverage exonerating the scientists were raised by journalists and policy experts. Historian [[Spencer R. Weart]] of the [[American Institute of Physics]] said the incident was unprecedented in the history of science, having "never before seen a set of people accuse an entire community of scientists of deliberate deception and other professional malfeasance".<ref>{{cite news |last=Freedman |first=Andrew |date=23 November 2009 |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/capital-weather-gang/post/science-historian-reacts-to-hacked-climate-e-mails/2010/12/20/ABoXx3F_blog.html |title=Science historian reacts to hacked climate e-mails |newspaper=The Washington Post |quote=The theft and use of the emails does reveal something interesting about the social context. It's a symptom of something entirely new in the history of science: Aside from crackpots who complain that a conspiracy is suppressing their personal discoveries, we've never before seen a set of people accuse an entire community of scientists of deliberate deception and other professional malfeasance. Even the tobacco companies never tried to slander legitimate cancer researchers. In blogs, talk radio and other new media, we are told that the warnings about future global warming issued by the national science academies, scientific societies, and governments of all the leading nations are not only mistaken, but based on a hoax, indeed a conspiracy that must involve thousands of respected researchers. Extraordinary and, frankly, weird. |access-date=22 August 2017 |archive-date=11 September 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170911025601/https://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/capital-weather-gang/post/science-historian-reacts-to-hacked-climate-e-mails/2010/12/20/ABoXx3F_blog.html |url-status=live }}</ref> The [[United States National Academy of Sciences]] expressed concern and condemned what they called "political assaults on scientists and climate scientists in particular".<ref>{{cite news |last=Zabarenko |first=Deborah |date=6 May 2010 |url=http://uk.reuters.com/article/us-climate-science-idUKTRE64561H20100506 |title=Scientists decry "assaults" on climate research |work=Reuters |access-date=5 July 2021 |archive-date=5 March 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160305203027/http://uk.reuters.com/article/us-climate-science-idUKTRE64561H20100506 |url-status=dead }} For the original letter, see: {{cite journal |last1=Gleick |first1=P. H. |date=7 May 2010 |title=Climate Change and the Integrity of Science |journal=Science |volume=328 |issue=5979 |pages=689–90 |doi=10.1126/science.328.5979.689 |pmid=20448167 |last2=Adams |first2=R. M. |bibcode=2010Sci...328..689G |pmc=5125622 }}</ref>

In the United Kingdom and United States, there were calls for official inquiries into issues raised by the documents. The British [[Conservative Party (UK)|Conservative]] politician [[Nigel Lawson|Lord Lawson]]<!--his new "foundation" not formed then, not mentioned in source: and founder of the [[Global Warming Policy Foundation]]--> said: "The integrity of the scientific evidence ... has been called into question. And the reputation of British science has been seriously tarnished. A high-level independent inquiry must be set up without delay." [[Bob Ward (communications director)|Bob Ward]] of the [[Grantham Research Institute on Climate Change and the Environment]] at the [[London School of Economics]] said that there had to be a rigorous investigation into the substance of the email messages, once appropriate action has been taken over the hacking, to clear the impression of impropriety given by the selective disclosure and dissemination of the messages.<ref name="Guardian 23 Nov" /> [[United States Senate|United States Senator]] [[Jim Inhofe]], who had previously stated that global warming was "the greatest hoax ever perpetrated on the American people",<ref>{{cite news | url = http://www.tulsaworld.com/news/article.aspx?subjectid=298&articleid=20091118_298_0_WSIGOS499419 | archive-url = https://archive.today/20091120185715/http://www.tulsaworld.com/news/article.aspx?subjectid=298&articleid=20091118_298_0_WSIGOS499419 | url-status = dead | archive-date = 20 November 2009 | title = Inhofe declares victory in speech on global warming | newspaper=Tulsa World | access-date =26 July 2010}}</ref> also planned to demand an inquiry.<ref name="Inhofe 23 Nov" /> In a debate in the [[United States House of Representatives]] on 2 December 2009, Republicans read out extracts from eight of the emails, and Representative [[Jim Sensenbrenner]] said: "These e-mails show a pattern of suppression, manipulation and secrecy that was inspired by ideology, condescension and profit". In response,  the president's science adviser [[John Holdren]] said that the science was proper, and the emails only concerned a fraction of the research. Government scientist [[Jane Lubchenco]] said that the emails "do nothing to undermine the very strong scientific consensus" that the Earth is warming, largely due to human actions.<ref>{{Cite news | last = Borenstein | first = Seth | title = Business & Technology: Obama science advisers grilled over hacked e-mails | url = http://seattletimes.com/html/businesstechnology/2010411091_apsciclimatehearing.html | work = Seattle Times | date = 3 December 2009 | access-date = 11 December 2012 | archive-date = 18 February 2014 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20140218230732/http://seattletimes.com/html/businesstechnology/2010411091_apsciclimatehearing.html | url-status = live }}</ref>

Climate change sceptics gained wide publicity in blogs and news media,<ref name="Guardian 9 Feb part2" /> making allegations that the hacked emails showed evidence that climate scientists manipulated data.<ref name="HickmanRanderson2009-11-20" /> A few other commentators such as [[Roger A. Pielke]]<ref>{{cite book |page=[https://archive.org/details/climatefixwhatsc0000piel/page/194 194] |author=Pielke Jr., Roger |title=The Climate Fix: What Scientists and Politicians Won't Tell You About Global Warming |publisher=Basic Books |year=2010 |isbn=978-0-465-02052-2 |url=https://archive.org/details/climatefixwhatsc0000piel/page/194 }}</ref> said that the evidence supported claims that dissenting scientific papers had been suppressed.<ref name="FahrentholdEilperin2010-12-05" /> ''[[The Wall Street Journal]]'' reported that the emails revealed apparent efforts to ensure that the [[Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change|IPCC]] included their own views and excluded others, and that the scientists withheld scientific data.<ref name="Johnson2009-11-23" />

An editorial in ''[[Nature (journal)|Nature]]'' stated that "A fair reading of the e-mails reveals nothing to support the denialists' conspiracy theories." It said that emails showed harassment of researchers, with multiple [[Freedom of Information requests to the Climatic Research Unit]], but release of information had been hampered by national government restrictions on releasing the meteorological data researchers had been using. ''Nature'' considered that emails had not shown anything that undermined the scientific case on [[Anthropogenic global warming|human-caused global warming]] or raised any substantive reasons for concern about the researchers' own papers.<ref name="Nature_2009-12-03" /> ''[[The Daily Telegraph|The Telegraph]]'' reported that academics and climate change researchers dismissed the allegations, saying that nothing in the emails proved wrongdoing.<ref name="Moore2009-11-24" /> Independent reviews by [[FactCheck]] and the [[Associated Press]] said that the emails did not affect evidence that man-made global warming is a real threat, and said that emails were being misrepresented to support unfounded claims of scientific misconduct. The AP said that the "[e]-mails stolen from climate scientists show they stonewalled sceptics and discussed hiding data".<ref name="fc_2009-12-10" /><ref name="ap_2009-12-12" /> In this context, John Tierney of ''The New York Times'' wrote: "these researchers, some of the most prominent climate experts in Britain and America, seem so focused on winning the public-relations war that they exaggerate their certitude&nbsp;– and ultimately undermine their own cause".<ref name=Tierney>Tierney, John. "[https://www.nytimes.com/2009/12/01/science/01tier.html?_r=3&n=Top/News/Science/Columns/Findings E-Mail Fracas Shows Peril of Trying to Spin Science] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211101064957/https://www.nytimes.com/2009/12/01/science/01tier.html?_r=3&n=Top%2FNews%2FScience%2FColumns%2FFindings |date=1 November 2021 }}". ''The New York Times''. 1 December 2009.</ref>

Climate scientists at the CRU and elsewhere received numerous threatening and abusive emails in the wake of the initial incidents.<ref name="Guardian 8 Dec" /><ref>Richard Girling [http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/environment/article7017905.ece "The leak was bad. Then came the death threats"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100523011813/http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/environment/article7017905.ece |date=23 May 2010 }}. The Sunday Times, 7 February 2010.</ref> Norfolk Police interviewed Phil Jones about death threats made against him following the release of the emails; Jones later said that the police told him that these "didn't fulfil the criteria for death threats".<ref>"I passed [the threats] on to Norfolk police who said they didn’t fulfil the criteria for death threats." Interview published at Spalding (UK) Guardian, "Top climate professor in Spalding for talk", Thursday 3 February 2011. Archived copy available at [http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-248311266.html Highbeam.com]{{dead link|date=February 2019|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}. Retrieved 9 May 2011, registration required.</ref> Death threats against two scientists also are under investigation by the US [[Federal Bureau of Investigation]].<ref name="Guardian 8 Dec">{{cite news | last = Ravillious | first = Kate | date = 8 December 2009 | title = Hacked email climate scientists receive death threats | url = https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2009/dec/08/hacked-climate-emails-death-threats | work = The Guardian | location = London | access-date = 11 December 2016 | archive-date = 21 May 2016 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20160521153344/http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2009/dec/08/hacked-climate-emails-death-threats | url-status = live }}</ref>{{Update inline|date=June 2021}} Climate scientists in Australia have reported receiving threatening emails including references to where they live and warnings to "be careful" about how some people might react to their scientific findings.<ref name="ABC O'Neill 9 Dec"/> In July 2012, Michael Mann said that the episode had caused him to "endure countless verbal attacks upon my professional reputation, my honesty, my integrity, even my life and liberty".<ref>{{cite news |title=U.Va. wins key ruling in Prince William global warming-FOIA case involving Michael Mann |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/the-state-of-nova/post/uva-wins-key-ruling-in-prince-william-global-warming-foia-case-involving-michael-mann/2012/09/18/6c422d98-0133-11e2-b257-e1c2b3548a4a_blog.html |newspaper=The Washington Post |access-date=18 September 2012 |date=18 September 2012 |first=Tom |last=Jackman |archive-date=20 September 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120920173655/http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/the-state-of-nova/post/uva-wins-key-ruling-in-prince-william-global-warming-foia-case-involving-michael-mann/2012/09/18/6c422d98-0133-11e2-b257-e1c2b3548a4a_blog.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

=== University of East Anglia ===
The [[University of East Anglia]] was notified of the security breach on 17 November 2009, but when the story was published in the press on 20 November, they had no statement ready.<ref name="Monbiot 11-25" /> On 24 November, Trevor Davies, the University of East Anglia pro-vice-chancellor with responsibility for research, rejected calls for Jones' resignation or firing: "We see no reason for Professor Jones to resign and, indeed, we would not accept his resignation. He is a valued and important scientist." The university announced that it would conduct an independent review into issues including [[Freedom of Information requests to the Climatic Research Unit]]: it would "address the issue of data security, an assessment of how we responded to a deluge of Freedom of Information requests, and any other relevant issues which the independent reviewer advises should be addressed".<ref name="Hickman2009-11-24" />

The university announced on 1 December that Phil Jones was to stand aside as director of the Unit until the completion of the review.<ref name="UEA 01&nbsp;Dec" /><ref name="Telegraph2009-12-01" /> Two days later, the university announced that Sir [[Muir Russell]] would chair the inquiry, which would be known as the Independent Climate Change Email Review, and would "examine email exchanges to determine whether there is evidence of suppression or manipulation of data". The review would also scrutinise the CRU's policies and practices for "acquiring, assembling, subjecting to peer review, and disseminating data and research findings" and "their compliance or otherwise with best scientific practice". In addition, the investigation would review CRU's compliance with Freedom of Information Act requests and also "make recommendations about the management, governance and security structures for CRU and the security, integrity and release of the data it holds".<ref name="BBC 3 Dec" /> The Independent Climate Change Email Review report was published on 7 July 2010.<ref name="2010-06-21_cce-review">{{cite web |title=The Independent Climate Change Email Review |url=http://www.cce-review.org/News.php |url-status= |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110724191429/http://www.cce-review.org/News.php |archive-date=2011-07-24 |access-date=17 October 2010}}</ref>

On 22 March 2010 the university announced the composition of an independent Science Assessment Panel to reassess key CRU papers that have already been peer-reviewed and published in journals. The panel did not seek to evaluate the science itself, but rather whether "the conclusions [reached by the CRU] represented an honest and scientifically justified interpretation of the data". The university consulted with the [[Royal Society]] in establishing the panel. It was chaired by [[Ronald Oxburgh, Baron Oxburgh|Lord Oxburgh]], and its membership consisted of Huw Davies of [[ETH Zurich]], Kerry Emanual of [[Massachusetts Institute of Technology]], Lisa Graumlich of the [[University of Arizona]], [[David Hand (statistician)|David Hand]] of [[Imperial College London]], and [[Herbert Huppert]] and [[Michael Kelly (physicist)|Michael Kelly]] of the University of Cambridge. It started its work in March 2010 and released its report on 14 April 2010.<ref name="SAP-Report" /> During its inquiry, the panel examined eleven representative CRU publications, selected with advice from the [[Royal Society]], that spanned a period of over 20 years, as well as other CRU research materials. It also spent fifteen person-days at the UEA carrying out interviews with scientists.<ref name="SAP-Report" />

=== Climatologists ===
Among the scientists whose emails were disclosed, the CRU's researchers said in a statement that the emails had been taken out of context and merely reflected an honest exchange of ideas. [[Michael E. Mann|Michael Mann]], director of [[Pennsylvania State University]]'s Earth System Science Center, said that sceptics were "taking these words totally out of context to make something trivial appear nefarious"<ref name="WaPo 21 Nov" /> and called the entire incident a careful, "high-level, orchestrated smear campaign to distract the public about the nature of the climate change problem".<ref name="NYTimes 24 Nov" /> [[Kevin E. Trenberth]] of the [[National Center for Atmospheric Research]] said that he was appalled at the release of the emails but thought that it might backfire against climate sceptics, as the messages would show "the integrity of scientists".<ref name="Revkin2009-11-20" /> He also said that climate change sceptics had selectively quoted words and phrases out of context and that the timing suggested an attempt to undermine talks at the December 2009 [[2009 United Nations Climate Change Conference|Copenhagen global climate summit]].<ref name="AP 22 Nov" /> [[Tom Wigley]], a former director of the CRU and now head of the US [[National Center for Atmospheric Research]], condemned the threats that he and other colleagues had received as "truly stomach-turning", and commented: "None of it affects the science one iota. Accusations of data distortion or faking are baseless. I can rebut and explain all of the apparently incriminating e-mails that I have looked at, but it is going to be very time consuming to do so."<ref name="Guardian 8 Dec" /> In relation to the harassment that he and his colleagues were experiencing, he said: "This sort of thing has been going on at a much lower level for almost 20 years and there have been other outbursts of this sort of behaviour&nbsp;– criticism and abusive emails and things like that in the past. So this is a worse manifestation but it's happened before so it's not that surprising."<ref name="ABC Collins 9 Dec" />

Other prominent climate scientists, such as [[Richard Somerville]], called the incident a smear campaign.<ref name="Reuters 25 Nov" /> [[David Reay]] of the [[University of Edinburgh]] said that the CRU "is just one of many climate-research institutes that provide the underlying scientific basis for climate policy at national and international levels. The conspiracy theorists may be having a field day, but if they really knew academia they would also know that every published paper and data set is continually put through the wringer by other independent research groups. The information that makes it into the IPCC reports is some of the most rigorously tested and debated in any area of science."<ref name="Guardian 8 Dec" /> [[Stephen Schneider (scientist)|Stephen Schneider]] compared the political attacks on climate scientists to the [[witch-hunt]]s of [[McCarthyism]].<ref>{{cite journal |last=Tollefson |first=Jeff |date=9 March 2010 |title=Attack sparks memories of McCarthy witch-hunt |journal=Nature News |publisher=Nature Publishing Group |volume=464 |issue=149 |doi=10.1038/464149a |pmid=20220809 |page=149|doi-access=free }}</ref>

[[James Hansen]] said that the controversy has "no effect on the science" and that while some of the emails reflect poor judgment, the evidence for human-made climate change is overwhelming.<ref name="Newsweek blog James Hanse 25 Nov" />

One of the IPCC's lead authors, [[Raymond Pierrehumbert]] of the [[University of Chicago]], expressed concern at the precedent established by this incident: "[T]his is a criminal act of vandalism and of harassment of a group of scientists that are only going about their business doing science. It represents a whole new escalation in the war on climate scientists who are only trying to get at the truth... What next? Deliberate monkeying with data on servers? Insertion of bugs into climate models?"<ref name="Revkin2009-11-22" /> Another IPCC lead author, [[David Karoly]] of the [[University of Melbourne]], reported receiving hate emails in the wake of the incident and said that he believed that there was "an organised campaign to discredit individual climate scientists". [[Andrew Pitman]] of the [[University of New South Wales]] commented: "The major problem is that scientists have to be able to communicate their science without fear or favour and there seems to be a well-orchestrated campaign designed to intimidate some scientists."<ref name="ABC O'Neill 9 Dec" />

In response to the incident, 1,700 British scientists signed a joint statement circulated by the UK [[Met Office]] declaring their "utmost confidence in the observational evidence for global warming and the scientific basis for concluding that it is due primarily to human activities".<ref name="Times statement 9 Dec" />

[[Patrick Michaels|Patrick J. Michaels]], who was criticised in the emails and who has long faulted evidence pointing to human-driven warming, said: "This is not a smoking gun; this is a mushroom cloud". He said that some emails showed an effort to block the release of data for independent review and that some messages discussed discrediting him by stating that he knew his research was wrong in his doctoral dissertation, "This shows these are people willing to bend rules and go after other people's reputations in very serious ways."<ref name="Revkin2009-11-20" />

[[Judith Curry]] wrote that, in her opinion, "there are two broader issues raised by these emails that are impeding the public credibility of climate research: lack of transparency in climate data, and 'tribalism' in some segments of the climate research community that is impeding peer review and the assessment process". She hoped that the affair would change the approach of scientists to providing their data to the public and their response to criticisms of their work. She had herself learned to be careful about what to put in emails when a "disgruntled employee" made a freedom of information request. Mann described these comments as "somewhat naive" considering that in recent years scientists had become much more open with their data. He said that sceptics "will always complain about something else, want something more. Eventually, as we see, they've found a way to get access to private communications between scientists."<ref name="NYTimes 24 Nov" />

[[Hans von Storch]], who also concurs with the mainstream view on global warming,<ref name="Storch" /> said that the University of East Anglia (UEA) had "violated a fundamental principle of science" by refusing to share data with other researchers. "They play science as a power game," he said.<ref name="wsjms" /> On 24 November 2009 the university had stated that 95% of the raw station data was accessible via the [[Global Historical Climatology Network]], and had been for several years. They were already working with the Met Office to obtain permissions to release the remaining raw data.<ref name="update 2">{{Cite web | title = CRU update 2 | url = http://www.uea.ac.uk/mac/comm/media/press/2009/nov/CRUupdate | publisher = University of East Anglia (UEA) | date = 24 November 2009 | access-date = 23 December 2011 | archive-date = 11 December 2009 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20091211100253/http://www.uea.ac.uk/mac/comm/media/press/2009/nov/CRUupdate | url-status = live }}</ref>

=== Scientific organisations ===

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change Working Group I issued statements that the assessment process, involving hundreds of scientists worldwide, is designed to be transparent and to prevent any individual or small group from manipulating the process. The statement said that the "internal consistency from multiple lines of evidence strongly supports the work of the scientific community, including those individuals singled out in these email exchanges".<ref name="IPCC WGI" /><ref name="IPCC RKP" />

The [[American Meteorological Society]] stated that the incident did not affect the society's position on climate change. They pointed to the breadth of evidence for human influence on climate, stating:<ref name="AMS clarification" />
{{blockquote|For climate change research, the body of research in the literature is very large and the dependence on any one set of research results to the comprehensive understanding of the climate system is very, very small. Even if some of the charges of improper behavior in this particular case turn out to be true—which is not yet clearly the case—the impact on the science of climate change would be very limited.}}

The [[American Geophysical Union]] issued a statement that they found "it offensive that these emails were obtained by illegal cyber attacks and they are being exploited to distort the scientific debate about the urgent issue of climate change". They reaffirmed their 2007 position statement on climate change "based on the large body of scientific evidence that Earth's climate is warming and that human activity is a contributing factor. Nothing in the University of East Anglia hacked e-mails represents a significant challenge to that body of scientific evidence."<ref name="AGU Statement" />

The [[American Association for the Advancement of Science]] (AAAS) reaffirmed its position on global warming and "expressed grave concerns that the illegal release of private emails stolen from the University of East Anglia should not cause policy-makers and the public to become confused about the scientific basis of global climate change. Scientific integrity demands robust, independent peer review, however, and AAAS therefore emphasised that investigations are appropriate whenever significant questions are raised regarding the transparency and rigour of the scientific method, the peer-review process, or the responsibility of individual scientists. The responsible institutions are mounting such investigations." [[Alan I. Leshner]], CEO of the AAAS and executive publisher of the journal ''[[Science (journal)|Science]]'', said: "AAAS takes issues of scientific integrity very seriously. It is fair and appropriate to pursue answers to any allegations of impropriety. It's important to remember, though, that the reality of climate change is based on a century of robust and well-validated science."<ref name="AAAS" />

=== UK Met Office ===
On 23 November 2009, a spokesman for the [[Met Office]], the UK's national weather service, which works with the CRU in providing global temperature information, said that there was no need for an inquiry. "The bottom line is that temperatures continue to rise and humans are responsible for it. We have every confidence in the science and the various datasets we use. The peer-review process is as robust as it could possibly be."<ref name="Guardian 23 Nov" />

On 5 December 2009, however, the Met Office indicated its intention to re-examine 160 years of temperature data in the light of concerns that public confidence in the science had been damaged by the controversy over the emails.<ref name="Webster2009-12-05" /> The Met Office would also publish online the temperature records for over 1,000 worldwide weather stations.<ref name="Guardian 5 Dec 09" /><ref name="MetOffice" /> It remained confident that its analysis would be shown to be correct<ref name="Webster2009-12-05" /> and that the data would show a temperature rise over the past 150 years.<ref name="Guardian 5 Dec 09" /><ref name="CNN 6 Dec" />

===Other responses===
[[Rajendra K. Pachauri|Rajendra Pachauri]], as chairman of the [[Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change]], told the BBC in December 2009 that he considered the affair to be "a serious issue" and that they "will look into it in detail".<ref name="2009-12-04_BBC" /> He later clarified that the IPCC would review the incident to identify lessons to be learned and rejected suggestions that the IPCC itself should carry out an investigation.

In a series of emails sent through a [[United States National Academy of Sciences|National Academy of Sciences]] (NAS) [[listserv]], apparently forwarded outside the group by an unknown person, scientists discussing the "Climategate" fallout considered launching advertising campaigns, widening their public presence, pushing the NAS to take a more active role in explaining climate science and creating a nonprofit to serve as a voice for the scientific community.<ref>{{cite news | url = https://www.nytimes.com/gwire/2010/03/05/05greenwire-e-mails-show-scientists-planning-push-back-aga-33296.html | title = E-Mails Show Scientists Planning Push-Back Against 'McCarthyite' Attacks on Climate Science | last = Kaplun | first = Alex | date = 5 March 2010 | work = The New York Times | access-date = 11 May 2010 | archive-date = 10 March 2010 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20100310135515/http://www.nytimes.com/gwire/2010/03/05/05greenwire-e-mails-show-scientists-planning-push-back-aga-33296.html | url-status = live }}</ref>

A paper by [[Reiner Grundmann]] used a limited account of the events to discuss norms of scientific practice in relation to two [[science ethics]] approaches, the [[Mertonian norms]] as of [[Robert K. Merton]], and [[Roger Pielke Jr.]]'s concept of [[honest broker]]ing in science policy interactions. Sources for the paper were chosen for accessibility, emphasising "critical accounts".<ref>{{cite journal |author-link=Reiner Grundmann |first=Reiner |last=Grundmann |title='Climategate' and The Scientific Ethos |publication-date=23 April 2012 |doi=10.1177/0162243911432318  |journal=Science, Technology, & Human Values |date=January 2013 |volume=38 |issue=1 |pages=67–93 See Footnote 3, p. 88–89|url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/256017993 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180423165953/https://www.researchgate.net/publication/256017993 |archive-date=23 April 2018 |quote=The story presented here does not attempt to provide an in-depth account of the climategate affair. It is based on a limited number of textual sources (such as Montford 2010; {{harvnb|Pearce|2010}}, blog content, commentary, reports from official inquiries, and a subset of released climate emails). These limitations in the data need to be noted. The paper raises the question of how to assess knowledge production in a highly politicized context. Sources were selected on accessibility criteria with a special emphasis on critical accounts. The aim of the paper is not to adjudicate who was right and who was wrong about the science, but to discuss norms of scientific practice in the light of two theoretical frameworks}} Footnote 5 cites "Wikipedia entry on 'Climatic Research Unit E-mail Controversy'".</ref>

== Inquiries and reports ==
Eight committees investigated the allegations and published reports, finding no evidence of fraud or scientific misconduct.<ref name="6committees" /> The scientific consensus that global warming is occurring as a result of [[Human impact on the environment|human activity]] remained unchanged by the end of the investigations.<ref name="scientificamerican" /> However, the reports urged the scientists to avoid any such allegations in the future, and to regain [[Public opinion on climate change|public confidence]] following this media storm, with "more efforts than ever to make available all their supporting data – right down to the [[Source code|computer codes]] they use – to allow their findings to be properly [[Verification and validation|verified]]". Climate scientists and organisations pledged to improve scientific research and collaboration with other researchers by improving [[data management]] and [[Open access|opening up access]] to data, and to honour any [[Freedom of Information Act 2000|freedom of information]] requests that relate to climate science.<ref name="IWR">{{cite journal|last=Venkatraman|first=Archana|date=September–October 2010|title=Data Without the Doubts|url=http://www.thefreelibrary.com/Data+without+the+doubts%3A+the+climategate+furore+has+galvanised+the...-a0257556897|journal=[[Information World Review]]|publisher=Bizmedia Ltd.|pages=18–19|access-date=20 July 2012|archive-date=1 February 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140201164412/http://www.thefreelibrary.com/Data+without+the+doubts%3A+the+climategate+furore+has+galvanised+the...-a0257556897|url-status=live}}</ref>

=== House of Commons Science and Technology Committee ===
On 22 January 2010, the [[House of Commons (United Kingdom)|House of Commons]] [[Science and Technology Select Committee]] announced it would conduct an inquiry into the affair, examining the implications of the disclosure for the integrity of scientific research, reviewing the scope of the independent Muir Russell review announced by the UEA, and reviewing the independence of international [[Climate Data Records|climate data sets]].<ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.parliament.uk/parliamentary_committees/science_technology/s_t_pn14_100122.cfm | title = Science and Technology Committee Announcement: The Disclosure of Climate Data from the Climatic Research Unit at the University of East Anglia | access-date = 22 January 2010 | date = 22 January 2010 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20100125134148/http://www.parliament.uk/parliamentary_committees/science_technology/s_t_pn14_100122.cfm | archive-date = 25 January 2010 }}. See [[House of Commons (United Kingdom)|House of Commons]]' [[Science and Technology Select Committee]] [https://web.archive.org/web/20100402091426/http://www.parliament.uk/parliamentary_committees/science_technology/s_t_pn32_100331.cfm announcement] and [https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm200910/cmselect/cmsctech/387/38702.htm Report on The disclosure of climate data from the Climatic Research Unit at the University of East Anglia] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171028201900/https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm200910/cmselect/cmsctech/387/38702.htm |date=28 October 2017 }}, released 31 March 2010.</ref> The committee invited written submissions from interested parties, and published 55 submissions that it had received by 10 February. They included submissions from the [[University of East Anglia]], the [[Global Warming Policy Foundation]], the [[Institute of Physics]], the [[Royal Society of Chemistry]], the [[Met Office]], several other professional bodies, prominent scientists, some climate change sceptics, several [[Member of the European Parliament|MEPs]] and other interested parties.<ref name="HoC memoranda">{{cite web | url = https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm200910/cmselect/cmsctech/memo/climatedata/contents.htm | title = Science and Technology&nbsp;– Memoranda | publisher = House of Commons | access-date = 27 February 2010 | archive-date = 1 March 2010 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20100301090530/http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm200910/cmselect/cmsctech/memo/climatedata/contents.htm | url-status = live }}</ref> An oral evidence session was held on 1 March 2010.<ref>{{cite web| date = 31 March 2010| author = Official Shorthand Writers to the Houses of Parliament| title = House of Commons Science and Technology Select Committee, Session 2009–10: Uncorrected oral evidence, 1 March 2010, "The disclosure of climate data from the Climatic Research Unit at the University of East Anglia," HC 387-i. Uploaded on 3&nbsp;March 2010| publisher = UK Parliament website| url = https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm200910/cmselect/cmsctech/387/387i.pdf| access-date = 6 March 2010| archive-date = 7 July 2017| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20170707203021/https://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm200910/cmselect/cmsctech/387/387i.pdf| url-status = live}}</ref>

The Science and Technology Select Committee inquiry reported on 31 March 2010 that it had found that "the scientific reputation of Professor Jones and CRU remains intact". The emails and claims raised in the controversy did not challenge the scientific consensus that "global warming is happening and that it is induced by human activity". The MPs had seen no evidence to support claims that Jones had tampered with data or interfered with the peer-review process.<ref name="ST"/>

The committee criticised a "culture of non-disclosure at CRU" and a general lack of transparency in climate science where scientific papers had usually not included all the data and code used in reconstructions. It said that "even if the data that CRU used were not publicly available—which they mostly are—or the methods not published—which they have been—its published results would still be credible: the results from CRU agree with those drawn from other international data sets; in other words, the analyses have been repeated and the conclusions have been verified." The report added that "scientists could have saved themselves a lot of trouble by aggressively publishing all their data instead of worrying about how to stonewall their critics." The committee criticised the university for the way that [[Freedom of Information requests to the Climatic Research Unit|freedom of information requests were handled]], and for failing to give adequate support to the scientists to deal with such requests.<ref>{{cite web | url = https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm200910/cmselect/cmsctech/387/387i.pdf | title = The disclosure of climate data from the Climatic Research Unit at the University of East Anglia | publisher = Parliament of the United Kingdom | work = House of Commons Science and Technology Committee | pages = 52–54 | date = 31 March 2010 | quote = The committee's report was not unanimous; Labour MP [[Graham Stringer]] voted against several of its recommendations including an amendment by Evan Harris declaring that Dr Jones' scientific reputation remained intact. | access-date = 30 August 2017 | archive-date = 7 July 2017 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20170707203021/https://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm200910/cmselect/cmsctech/387/387i.pdf | url-status = live }}</ref>

The committee chairman [[Phil Willis]] said that the "standard practice" in climate science generally of not routinely releasing all raw data and computer codes "needs to change and it needs to change quickly". Jones had admitted sending "awful emails"; Willis commented that "[Jones] probably wishes that emails were never invented," but "apart from that we do believe that Prof. Jones has in many ways been scapegoated as a result of what really was a frustration on his part that people were asking for information purely to undermine his research."<ref name="Randerson2010-03-31" /> In Willis' view this did not excuse any failure to deal properly with FOI Act requests, but the committee accepted that Jones had released all the data that he could.<ref name="Randerson2010-03-31" /> It stated: "There is no reason why Professor Jones should not resume his post. He was certainly not co-operative with those seeking to get data, but that was true of all the climate scientists".<ref name="Webster2010-03-31" />

The committee was careful to point out that its report had been written after a single day of oral testimony and would not be as in-depth as other inquiries.<ref name="ST">{{cite news | url = http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/nationworld/2011482792_climate31.html? | title = 'Climategate' inquiry largely clears scientists | agency = Associated Press | location = London | newspaper = [[Seattle Times]] | last = Satter | first = Raphael G. | date = 30 March 2010 | access-date = 17 June 2010 | archive-date = 5 May 2010 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20100505220713/http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/nationworld/2011482792_climate31.html | url-status = live }}</ref>

=== Science Assessment Panel ===

The report of the independent Science Assessment Panel was published on 14 April 2010 and concluded that the panel had seen "no evidence of any deliberate scientific malpractice in any of the work of the Climatic Research Unit." It found that the CRU's work had been "carried out with integrity" and had used "fair and satisfactory" methods. The CRU was found to be "objective and dispassionate in their view of the data and their results, and there was no hint of tailoring results to a particular agenda." Instead, "their sole aim was to establish as robust a record of temperatures in recent centuries as possible."<ref name="SAP-Report" />

The panel commented that it was "very surprising that research in an area that depends so heavily on statistical methods has not been carried out in close collaboration with professional statisticians." It found that although the CRU had not made inappropriate use of statistical methods, some of the methods used may not have been the best for the purpose, though it said that "it is not clear, however, that better methods would have produced significantly different results." It suggested that the CRU could have done more to document and archive its work, data and algorithms and stated that the scientists were "ill prepared" for the amount of public attention generated by their work, commenting that "as with many small research groups their internal procedures were rather informal." The media and other scientific organisations were criticised for having "sometimes neglected" to reflect the uncertainties, doubts and assumptions of the work done by the CRU. The UK Government's policy of charging for access to scientific data was described as "inconsistent with policies of open access to data promoted elsewhere." The panel was also stated that "Although we deplore the tone of much of the criticism that has been directed at CRU, we believe that this questioning of the methods and data used in dendroclimatology will ultimately have a beneficial effect and improve working practices." It found that some of the criticism had been "selective and uncharitable" and critics had displayed "a lack of awareness" of the difficulties of research in this area.<ref name="SAP-Report" />

Speaking at a press conference to announce the report, the panel's chair, Lord Oxburgh, stated that his team had found "absolutely no evidence of any impropriety whatsoever" and that "whatever was said in the emails, the basic science seems to have been done fairly and properly." He said that many of the criticisms and allegations of scientific misconduct had been made by people "who do not like the implications of some of the conclusions" reached by the CRU's scientists. He said that the repeated FOI requests made by climate change sceptic Steve McIntyre and others could have amounted to a campaign of harassment, and the issue of how FOI laws should be applied in an academic context remained unresolved.<ref name="Guardian_re_oxburgh">{{cite news | last = Adams | first = David | title = Scientists cleared of malpractice in UEA's hacked emails inquiry | url = https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2010/apr/14/oxburgh-uea-cleared-malpractice | work = The Guardian | date = 14 April 2010 | access-date = 14 April 2010 | location = London | archive-date = 21 July 2015 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20150721052004/http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2010/apr/14/oxburgh-uea-cleared-malpractice | url-status = live }}</ref> Another panel member, Professor David Hand, commended the CRU for being explicit about the inherent uncertainties in its research data, commenting that "there is no evidence of anything underhand&nbsp;– the opposite, if anything, they have brought out into the open the uncertainties with what they are dealing with."<ref name="Telegraph2010-04-14">{{cite news|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/environment/climatechange/7589715/Climategate-scientists-criticised-for-not-using-best-statistical-tools.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100416165534/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/environment/climatechange/7589715/Climategate-scientists-criticised-for-not-using-best-statistical-tools.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=16 April 2010|title='Climategate' scientists criticised for not using best statistical tools|author=Louise Gray|date=14 April 2010|newspaper=[[The Daily Telegraph|The Telegraph]]|access-date=27 August 2010 | location=London}}</ref>

At the press conference, Hand also commented on the well publicised 1998 paper produced in the United States by scientists led by [[Michael E. Mann]], saying that the [[hockey stick graph (global temperature)|hockey stick graph]] it showed was a genuine effect, but he had an "uneasy feeling" about the use of "inappropriate statistical tools" and said that the 1998 study had exaggerated the effect. He commended McIntyre for pointing out this issue. Mann subsequently told ''[[The Guardian]]'' that the study had been examined and approved in the US National Academies of Science [[North Report]], and described Hand's comment as a "rogue opinion"  not meriting "much attention or credence".<ref name="Guardian_re_oxburgh"/>

The UEA's vice-chancellor, Edward Acton, welcomed the panel's findings. Describing its report as "hugely positive", he stated that "it is especially important that, despite a deluge of allegations and smears against the CRU, this independent group of utterly reputable scientists have concluded that there was no evidence of any scientific malpractice."<ref>{{cite news | title = 'No malpractice' by climate unit | url = http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/8618024.stm | work = BBC News | date = 14 April 2010 | access-date = 14 April 2010 | archive-date = 10 April 2017 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20170410100645/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/8618024.stm | url-status = live }}</ref> He criticised the way that the emails had been misrepresented, saying that "UEA has already put on record its deep regret and anger that the theft of emails from the University, and the blatant misrepresentation of their contents as revealed both in this report and the previous one by the Science and Technology Select Committee, damaged the reputation of UK climate science."<ref name="Webster2010-04-14" /> The UEA issued a statement in which it accepted that "things might have been done better." It said that improvements had already been undertaken by the CRU and others in the climate science community and that the University would "continue to ensure that these imperatives are maintained."<ref>{{cite web | title = Response by the University of East Anglia to the Report by Lord Oxburgh's Science Assessment Panel | url = http://www.uea.ac.uk/mac/comm/media/press/CRUstatements/oxburgh | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20100417141508/http://www.uea.ac.uk/mac/comm/media/press/CRUstatements/oxburgh | url-status = dead | archive-date = 17 April 2010 | date = 14 April 2010 | access-date = 14 April 2010 | publisher = University of East Anglia }}</ref>

It later emerged that the Science Assessment Panel was not assessing the quality but instead the integrity of the CRU's science. Phil Willis described this a "sleight of hand" and was not what the Parliamentary Committee he had chaired had been led to believe. There were also questions about the selection of publications examined by the panel.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/today/hi/today/newsid_8795000/8795643.stm |title=Third 'Climategate' inquiry to report, Today programme, BBC Radio 4, 7&nbsp;July 2010 |work=BBC News |date=7 July 2010 |access-date=27 July 2010 |archive-date=15 July 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100715041340/http://news.bbc.co.uk/today/hi/today/newsid_8795000/8795643.stm |url-status=live }}</ref> Lord Oxburgh said that Acton had been wrong to tell the Science and Technology Select Committee in March that his inquiry would look into the science itself. "I think that was inaccurate," Oxburgh said. "This had to be done rapidly. This was their concern. They really wanted something within a month. There was no way our panel could evaluate the science."<ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2010/sep/08/uea-emails-inquiry-science | location=London | work=The Guardian | title=Oxburgh: UEA vice-chancellor was wrong to tell MPs he would investigate climate research | first=James | last=Randerson | date=8 September 2010 | access-date=11 December 2016 | archive-date=5 March 2016 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160305162423/http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2010/sep/08/uea-emails-inquiry-science | url-status=live }}</ref>

===Pennsylvania State University===
[[Pennsylvania State University]] announced in December 2009 it would review the work of [[Michael E. Mann]], in particular looking at anything that had not already been addressed in the 2006 [[North Report]] review by the [[National Research Council (United States)|National Research Council]] of the [[United States National Academy of Sciences|National Academy of Sciences]] which had investigated Mann's  "[[hockey stick graph (global temperature)|hockey stick graph]]" studies and found some faults with his 1998 methodology but agreed with the results which had been reaffirmed by later studies using different methods.<ref name="Broder2009-12-01" /><ref name="PSU Mann review" /><ref name="AP 3 Dec" /> In response, Mann said he would welcome the review.<ref name="AP 3 Dec" /> The inquiry committee determined on 3 February 2010 that there was no credible evidence Mann suppressed or falsified data, destroyed emails, information and/or data related to the [[IPCC Fourth Assessment Report]], or misused privileged or confidential information. The committee did not make a definitive finding on the final point of inquiry&nbsp;– "whether Dr Mann seriously deviated from accepted practices within the academic community for proposing, conducting, or reporting research or other scholarly activities". The committee said that the earlier NAS inquiry had found "that Dr Mann's science did fall well within the bounds of accepted practice", but in light of the newly available information this question of conduct was to be investigated by a second panel of five prominent Penn State scientists from other scientific disciplines.<ref name="PSU Findings" /><ref>{{cite journal|last=Kintisch |first=Eli |title=Climate Scientist Mann Partially Absolved by Penn State |url=http://news.sciencemag.org/scienceinsider/2010/02/climate-scienti-1.html |journal=[[Science (journal)|Science]] |date=3 February 2010 |access-date=3 January 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100925191452/http://news.sciencemag.org/scienceinsider/2010/02/climate-scienti-1.html |archive-date=25 September 2010 }}</ref>

The second Investigatory Committee reported on 4 June 2010 that it had "determined that Dr Michael E. Mann did not engage in, nor did he participate in, directly or indirectly, any actions that seriously deviated from accepted practices within the academic community." Regarding his sharing unpublished manuscripts with colleagues on the assumption of implied consent, it considered such sharing to be "careless and inappropriate" without following the best practice of getting express consent from the authors in advance, though expert opinion on this varied. It said that his success in proposing research and obtaining funding for it, commenting that this "clearly places Dr Mann among the most respected scientists in his field. Such success would not have been possible had he not met or exceeded the highest standards of his profession for proposing research." Mann's extensive recognitions within the research community demonstrated that "his scientific work, especially the conduct of his research, has from the beginning of his career been judged to be outstanding by a broad spectrum of scientists." It agreed unanimously that "there is no substance" to the allegations against Mann.<ref name="PSU Report">{{cite web | url = http://live.psu.edu/fullimg/userpics/10026/Final_Investigation_Report.pdf | title = Final Investigation Report Involving Dr. Michael E. Mann | date = 4 June 2010 | publisher=[[The Pennsylvania State University]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100713232736/http://news.sciencemag.org/scienceinsider/Final%20Investigation%20Report.pdf | archive-date =13 July 2010}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal|last=Kintisch |first=Eli |title=Michael Mann Exonerated as Penn State Inquiry Finds 'No Substance' To Allegations |url=http://news.sciencemag.org/scienceinsider/2010/07/michael-mann-exonerated-as-penn.html |journal=[[Science (journal)|Science]] |date=1 July 2010 |access-date=3 January 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120130074750/http://news.sciencemag.org/scienceinsider/2010/07/michael-mann-exonerated-as-penn.html |archive-date=30 January 2012 }}</ref>

Mann said he regretted not objecting to a suggestion from Jones in a 29 May 2008 message that he destroy emails. "I wish in retrospect I had told him, 'Hey, you shouldn't even be thinking about this,{{'"}} Mann said in March 2010. "I didn't think it was an appropriate request." Mann's response to Jones at the time was that he would pass on the request to another scientist. "The important thing is, I didn't delete any emails. And I don't think [Jones] did either."<ref name=Warner_2010_03_28>{{cite news | last = Warner | first = Frank | title = Penn State climate professor: 'I'm a skeptic' | url = http://www.mcall.com/news/local/all-global-warming-penn-state-0328,0,777593,print.story | date = 3 January 2010 | access-date = 28 March 2010 | work = The Morning Call | url-status = dead | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20100331134206/http://articles.mcall.com/2010-03-28/news/all-a1_5warming.7216773mar28_1_mails-e-mails-global-warming | archive-date = 31 March 2010 | df = dmy-all }}</ref>

=== Independent Climate Change Email Review ===
First announced in December 2009, a British investigation commissioned by the UEA and chaired by Sir Muir Russell, published its final report in July 2010.<ref>[http://www.cce-review.org/ The Independent Climate Change Email Review] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100214094301/http://www.cce-review.org/ |date=14 February 2010 }}, an independent review funded by the UEA, chaired by [[Sir Muir Russell]]</ref> The commission cleared the scientists and dismissed allegations that they manipulated their data. The "rigour and honesty" of the scientists at the Climatic Research Unit were found not to be in doubt.<ref name="Gillis2010-07-07" /> The panel found that they did not subvert the peer review process to censor criticism as alleged, and that the key data needed to reproduce their findings was freely available to any "competent" researcher.<ref name="guardian_cleared">{{cite news | url = https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2010/jul/07/climategate-review-clears-scientists-dishonesty | title = 'Climategate' review clears scientists of dishonesty over data | last = Adam | first = David | newspaper = [[The Guardian]] | date = 7 July 2010 | access-date = 7 July 2010 | location = London | archive-date = 21 November 2013 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20131121170119/http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2010/jul/07/climategate-review-clears-scientists-dishonesty | url-status = live }}</ref>

The panel did rebuke the CRU for their reluctance to release computer files, and found that a graph produced in 1999 was "misleading," though not deliberately so as necessary caveats had been included in the accompanying text.<ref>{{cite news | last = Adam | first = David | title = 'Climategate' review clears scientists of dishonesty over data | url = https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2010/jul/07/climategate-review-clears-scientists-dishonesty | work = The Guardian | location = UK | access-date = 11 July 2010 | date = 7 July 2010 | archive-date = 21 November 2013 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20131121170119/http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2010/jul/07/climategate-review-clears-scientists-dishonesty | url-status = live }}</ref> It found evidence that emails might have been deleted in order to make them unavailable should a subsequent request be made for them, though the panel did not ask anyone at CRU whether they had actually done this.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/environment/cif-green/2010/jul/07/climategate-scientists |title=Climategate: No whitewash, but CRU scientists are far from squeaky clean |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170409233133/https://www.theguardian.com/environment/cif-green/2010/jul/07/climategate-scientists |archive-date=9 April 2017 |first=Fred |last=Pearce |newspaper=The Guardian |date=7 July 2010 |ref={{harvid|Pearce|20100707}}}}</ref>

At the conclusion of the inquiry, Jones was reinstated with the newly created post of Director of Research.<ref name="Gillis2010-07-07" /><ref name="guardian_cleared" /><ref name="cce_report">{{cite web | url = http://www.cce-review.org/pdf/FINAL%20REPORT.pdf | title = The Independent Climate Change Email Review | date = 7 July 2010 | access-date = 7 July 2010 | archive-date = 6 February 2020 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20200206132925/http://www.cce-review.org/pdf/FINAL%20REPORT.pdf | url-status = live }}</ref>

===United States Environmental Protection Agency report===
The [[United States Environmental Protection Agency]] (EPA) had issued an "endangerment finding" in 2009 in preparation for climate regulations on excessive greenhouse gases. Petitions to reconsider this were raised by the states of [[Virginia]] and [[Texas]], conservative activists and business groups including the [[United States Chamber of Commerce]], the [[Competitive Enterprise Institute]] and the coal company [[Peabody Energy]], making claims that the CRU emails undermined the science.<ref name="hill">{{cite news | last = Geman | first = Ben | title = EPA rejects 'Climate-gate' bid to scuttle carbon rules | url = http://thehill.com/blogs/e2-wire/677-e2-wire/111733-epa-rejects-climate-gate-bid-to-scuttle-carbon-rules- | newspaper = [[The Hill (newspaper)|The Hill]] | date = 29 July 2010 | access-date = 16 September 2011 | url-status = dead | archive-url = https://archive.today/20130105031117/http://thehill.com/blogs/e2-wire/677-e2-wire/111733-epa-rejects-climate-gate-bid-to-scuttle-carbon-rules- | archive-date = 5 January 2013 | df = dmy-all }}</ref>

The EPA examined every email and concluded that there was no merit to the claims in the petitions, which "routinely misunderstood the scientific issues", reached "faulty scientific conclusions", "resorted to hyperbole", and "often cherry-pick language that creates the suggestion or appearance of impropriety, without looking deeper into the issues."<ref name="beeb 6 August 2010">{{cite news | title = Scientists' 'Climategate' e-mails 'just discussions' | url = https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-essex-10899538 | work = BBC News | date = 6 August 2010 | access-date = 16 September 2011 | archive-date = 31 October 2021 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20211031172545/https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-essex-10899538 | url-status = live }}</ref> In a statement issued on 29 July 2010, EPA Administrator [[Lisa P. Jackson]] said the petitions were based "on selectively edited, out-of-context data and a manufactured controversy" and provided "no evidence to undermine our determination. Excess greenhouse gases are a threat to our health and welfare."<ref>{{Cite web | title = 07/29/2010: EPA Rejects Claims of Flawed Climate Science | url = http://yosemite.epa.gov/opa/admpress.nsf/0/56EB0D86757CB7568525776F0063D82F | publisher = EPA Newsroom | date = 29 July 2010 | access-date = 16 September 2011 | archive-date = 16 September 2011 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20110916071651/http://yosemite.epa.gov/opa/admpress.nsf/0/56EB0D86757CB7568525776F0063D82F | url-status = live }}</ref>

The EPA issued a detailed report on issues raised by petitioners and responses, together with a fact sheet,<ref>{{cite web | url = http://epa.gov/climatechange/endangerment/petitions.html | title = Denial of Petitions for Reconsideration of the Endangerment and Cause or Contribute Findings for Greenhouse Gases under Section 202(a) of the Clean Air Act / Regulatory Initiatives / Climate Change / U.S. EPA | access-date = 16 September 2011 | date = 14 April 2011 | publisher = Environmental Protection Agency | archive-date = 4 September 2011 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20110904014520/http://www.epa.gov/climatechange/endangerment/petitions.html | url-status = live }}</ref> and a "myths versus facts" page stating that "Petitioners say that emails disclosed from CRU provide evidence of a conspiracy to manipulate data. The media coverage after the emails were released was based on email statements quoted out of context and on unsubstantiated theories of conspiracy. The CRU emails do not show either that the science is flawed or that the scientific process has been compromised. EPA carefully reviewed the CRU emails and found no indication of improper data manipulation or misrepresentation of results."<ref>{{cite web | url = http://epa.gov/climatechange/endangerment/myths-facts.html | title = Myths vs. Facts: Denial of Petitions for Reconsideration of the Endangerment and Cause or Contribute Findings for Greenhouse Gases under Section 202(a) of the Clean Air Act / Regulatory Initiatives / Climate Change / U.S. EPA | access-date = 16 September 2011 | date = 14 April 2011 | publisher = Environmental Protection Agency | archive-date = 6 December 2011 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20111206110610/http://epa.gov/climatechange/endangerment/myths-facts.html | url-status = live }}</ref>

===Inspector General of the U.S. Department of Commerce===
In May 2010 [[United States Senate|Senator]] [[Jim Inhofe]] requested the [[Inspector General]] of the [[United States Department of Commerce]] to conduct an independent review of how the [[National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration]] (NOAA) had dealt with the emails, and whether the emails showed any wrongdoing.<ref name="cbc.ca 110224">{{Cite news | title = U.S. scientists cleared in 'climategate' – Technology & Science | url = https://www.cbc.ca/news/science/u-s-scientists-cleared-in-climategate-1.1031242 | publisher = CBC News | date = 24 February 2011 | access-date = 3 January 2012 | archive-date = 27 July 2013 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20130727151022/http://www.cbc.ca/news/technology/story/2011/02/24/science-climategate-noaa.html | url-status = live }}</ref> The report, issued on 18 February 2011,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.oig.doc.gov/OIGPublications/2011.02.18_IG_to_Inhofe.pdf |title=Examination of issues related to internet posting of emails from Climatic Research Unit |access-date=3 January 2012 |last=Zinser |first=Todd J. |date=18 February 2011 |publisher=Office of the [[Inspector General]] of the [[United States Department of Commerce]] |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110330133202/http://www.oig.doc.gov/OIGPublications/2011.02.18_IG_to_Inhofe.pdf |archive-date=30 March 2011 }}</ref> cleared the researchers and "did not find any evidence that NOAA inappropriately manipulated data or failed to adhere to appropriate peer review procedures". It noted that NOAA reviewed its climate change data as standard procedure, not in response to the controversy. One email included a cartoon image showing Inhofe and others marooned on a melting ice floe, NOAA had taken this up as a conduct issue. In response to questions raised, NOAA stated that its scientists had followed legal advice on FOIA requests for information which belonged to the IPCC and was made available by that panel. In two instances funding had been awarded to CRU,<ref name="cbc.ca 110224" /> NOAA stated that it was reviewing these cases and so far understood that the funds supported climate forecasting workshops in 2002 and 2003 assisting the governments of three countries.<ref name="NOAA 110224">{{Cite web | title = Inspector General's Review of Stolen Emails Confirms No Evidence of Wrong-Doing by NOAA Climate Scientists | url = http://www.noaanews.noaa.gov/stories2011/20110224_climate.html | publisher = [[National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration]] | date = 24 February 2011 | access-date =3 January 2012 }}</ref>

=== National Science Foundation ===
The [[Office of the Inspector General]] (OIG) of the [[National Science Foundation]] closed an investigation on 15 August 2011 that exonerated [[Michael E. Mann|Michael Mann]] of [[Pennsylvania State University]] of charges of scientific misconduct.<ref>National Science Foundation Office of Inspector General, [http://www.science20.com/uploads/1770191916-429173860.pdf Case Number: A09120086] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211119135129/https://www.science20.com/uploads/1770191916-429173860.pdf |date=19 November 2021 }}</ref> It found no evidence of research misconduct, and confirmed the results of earlier inquiries.<ref name="bloomberg 110822">{{Cite news | last = Efstathiou | first = Jim Jr. | title = Climate-Change Scientist Cleared in Closing of U.S. Data-Altering Inquiry | url = https://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-08-22/climate-change-scientist-cleared-in-u-s-data-altering-inquiry.html | publisher = [[Bloomberg L.P.|Bloomberg]] | date = 22 August 2011 | access-date = 3 January 2012 | archive-date = 27 March 2017 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20170327005629/http://www.deccanherald.com/content/61233/uk-climategate-inquiry-largely-clears.html | url-status = live }}</ref> The OIG reviewed the findings of the July 2010 Penn State panel, took further evidence from the university and Mann, and interviewed Mann. The OIP findings confirmed the university panel's conclusions which cleared Mann of any wrongdoing, and it stated "Lacking any evidence of research misconduct, as defined under the NSF Research Misconduct Regulation, we are closing the investigation with no further action."<ref name="IoP 110830">{{Cite web | title = Climate scientist cleared of research misconduct | url = http://physicsworld.com/cws/article/news/47043 | publisher = physicsworld.com, A website from the [[Institute of Physics]] | date = 30 August 2011 | access-date = 3 January 2012 | archive-date = 13 November 2011 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20111113152313/http://physicsworld.com/cws/article/news/47043 | url-status = live }}</ref>

==ICO decisions on Freedom of Information requests==
{{main|Freedom of Information requests to the Climatic Research Unit}}

In two cases, the [[Information Commissioner's Office]] (ICO) issued decisions on appeals of Freedom of Information (FOI) requests which had been turned down by the university.

David Holland, an electrical engineer from [[Northampton]], made a 2008 FOI request for all emails to and from [[Keith Briffa]] about the [[IPCC Fourth Assessment Report]]; the university's information policy and compliance manager refused the request. On 23 November 2009, after the start of the controversy, he wrote to the Commissioner explaining in detail the relevance of the alleged CRU emails to his case,<ref name="guardian 2010-02-25">{{cite news
 |url          = https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2010/feb/25/uea-rejects-lost-data-claims
 |title        = University of East Anglia rejects lost climate data claims
 |author       = Press Association
 |date         = 25 February 2010
 |newspaper    = The Guardian
 |location     = UK
 |access-date  = 26 February 2010
 |archive-date = 27 February 2014
 |archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20140227063141/http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2010/feb/25/uea-rejects-lost-data-claims
 |url-status   = live
}}</ref> with specific reference to a May 2008 email in which [[Phil Jones (climatologist)|Phil Jones]] asked others to delete emails discussing AR4 with Briffa.<ref name="FOI2010-07-07guardian">
{{cite web
 |title=Freedom of Information Act 2000 (Section 50) / Environmental Information Regulations 2004 Decision Notice, Reference: FER0238017
 |url=http://www.ico.gov.uk/upload/documents/decisionnotices/2010/fer_0238017.pdf
 |publisher=Information Commissioner's Office
 |date=7 July 2010
 |access-date=27 July 2010
 |url-status=dead
 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110725073107/http://www.ico.gov.uk/upload/documents/decisionnotices/2010/fer_0238017.pdf
 |archive-date=25 July 2011
}}</ref> In January 2010 news reports highlighted that FOI legislation made it an offence to intentionally act to prevent the disclosure of requested information, but the [[statute of limitations]] meant that any prosecution had to be raised within 6 months of the alleged offence. This was discussed by the House of Commons Science and Technology Select Committee.<ref name=hocFOIA>{{cite web | url = https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm200910/cmselect/cmsctech/387/38706.htm#a16 | title = The disclosure of climate data from the Climatic Research Unit at the University of East Anglia | publisher = Parliament of the United Kingdom | work = House of Commons Science and Technology Committee | pages = 28–31 | date = 31 March 2010 | quote = We regret that the ICO made a statement to the press that went beyond that which it could substantiate and that it took over a month for the ICO properly to put the record straight. We recommend that the ICO develop procedures to ensure that its public comments are checked and that mechanisms exist to swiftly correct any mis-statements or misinterpretations of such statements. | access-date = 30 August 2017 | archive-date = 26 October 2016 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20161026065949/http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm200910/cmselect/cmsctech/387/38706.htm#a16 | url-status = live }}</ref> The ICO decision on Holland's requests published on 7 July 2010 concluded that the emails indicated ''[[prima facie]]'' evidence of an offence, but as prosecution was time-barred the Commissioner had been unable to investigate the alleged offence. On the issue of the university failing to provide responses within the correct time, no further action was needed as Holland was content not to proceed with his complaint.<ref name="FOI2010-07-07guardian" />

The Climatic Research Unit developed its gridded [[HadCRUT|CRUTEM]] [[data set]] of land air temperature anomalies from [[instrumental temperature record]]s held by [[:Template:National Meteorological Organisations|National Meteorological Organisations]] around the world, often under formal or informal confidentiality agreements that restricted use of this raw data to academic purposes, and prevented it from being passed onto third parties. Over 95% of the CRU climate data set had been available to the public for several years before July 2009,<ref name="update 2"/> when the university received numerous FOI requests for raw data or details of the confidentiality agreements from [[Stephen McIntyre]] and readers of his [[Climate Audit]] blog. Phil Jones of CRU announced that requests were being made to all the National Meteorological Organisations for their agreement to waive confidentiality,<ref name="metdata">{{Cite journal | last1 = Heffernan | first1 = O. | title = Climate data spat intensifies | journal = Nature | volume = 460 | issue = 7257 | page = 787 | year = 2009 | doi = 10.1038/460787a | pmid=19675615| doi-access = free }}<br>{{cite web | last = Heffernan | first = Olive | title = Climate Feedback: McIntyre versus Jones: climate data row escalates | url = http://blogs.nature.com/climatefeedback/2009/08/mcintyre_versus_jones_climate_1.html | work = Climate Feedback | publisher = [[Nature (journal)|Nature]] | date = 12 August 2009 | access-date = 2 August 2011 | archive-date = 15 August 2009 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20090815164637/http://blogs.nature.com/climatefeedback/2009/08/mcintyre_versus_jones_climate_1.html | url-status = live }}<br>{{harvnb|Pearce|2010|pp=143–156}}</ref> with the aim of publishing all the data jointly with the Met Office.<ref name="CRU Data Availability">{{cite web | url = http://www.cru.uea.ac.uk/cru/data/availability/ | title = CRU Data Availability | access-date = 24 January 2012 | publisher = [[Climatic Research Unit]] | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20091016072500/http://www.cru.uea.ac.uk/cru/data/availability/ | archive-date=16 October 2009 | quote = Data storage availability in the 1980s meant that we were not able to keep the multiple sources for some sites, only the station series after adjustment for homogeneity issues. We, therefore, do not hold the original raw data but only the value-added (i.e. quality controlled and homogenized) data.}}</ref> McIntyre complained that data denied to him had been sent to Jones's colleague Peter Webster at the [[Georgia Institute of Technology]] for work on a joint publication, and FOI requests for this data were made by [[Jonathan A. Jones]] of the University of Oxford and Don Keiller of [[Anglia Ruskin University]].<ref name="beeb 27 July 2011">{{cite news | last = Black | first = Richard | title = Climate unit releases virtually all remaining data | url = https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-14315747 | work = BBC News | date = 27 July 2011 | access-date = 2 August 2011 | archive-date = 4 August 2011 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20110804191818/http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-14315747 | url-status = live }}</ref> Both requests were refused by the UEA by 11 September 2009.<ref name="FER0280033">{{cite web|url=http://www.ico.gov.uk/~/media/documents/decisionnotices/2011/fer_0282488.ashx |title=Freedom of Information Act 2000 (Section 50) Environmental Information Regulations 2004 Decision Notice |access-date=15 August 2011 |date=23 June 2011 |format=PDF |work=FER0282488 |publisher=ICO |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110703034849/http://www.ico.gov.uk/~/media/documents/decisionnotices/2011/fer_0282488.ashx |archive-date=3 July 2011 }} FOI request made 24 July 2009, refused by UEA 14 August 2009.<br> {{cite web|url=http://www.ico.gov.uk/~/media/documents/decisionnotices/2011/fer_0280033.ashx |title=Freedom of Information Act 2000 (Section 50) Environmental Information Regulations 2004 Decision Notice |access-date=15 August 2011 |date=23 June 2011 |format=PDF |work=FER0280033 |publisher=ICO |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110829131139/http://www.ico.gov.uk/~/media/documents/decisionnotices/2011/fer_0280033.ashx |archive-date=29 August 2011 }} FOI request made 14 August 2009, refused by UEA 11 September 2009.</ref>
Though some National Meteorological Organisations gave full or conditional agreement to waive confidentiality, others failed to respond, and the request was explicitly refused by [[Trinidad and Tobago]] and [[Poland]]. In discussions with the ICO, the university argued that the data was publicly available from the Met organisations, and the lack of agreement exempted the remaining data. In its decision released on 23 June 2011, the ICO stated that the data was not easily available, and required the university to release the data covered by the FOIA request.<ref name="FER0280033" /> On 27 July 2011 CRU announced that the raw instrumental data not already in the public domain had been released and was available for download, with the exception of Poland which was outside the area covered by the FOIA request. The university remained concerned "that the forced release of material from a source which has explicitly refused to give permission for release could have some damaging consequences for the UK in international research collaborations."<ref name="beeb 27 July 2011" /><ref name="cru3 11">{{Cite web | title = Climate data released – University of East Anglia (UEA) | url = http://www.uea.ac.uk/mac/comm/media/press/2011/July/crutem3 | access-date = 4 August 2011 | archive-date = 20 February 2014 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20140220230108/http://www.uea.ac.uk/mac/comm/media/press/2011/July/crutem3 | url-status = dead }}</ref>

In September 2011 the ICO issued new guidance to universities, taking into account issues raised in relation to the CRU information requests. This describes exceptions and exemptions to protect research, including allowance for internal exchange of views between academics and researchers, leaving formulation of opinions on research free from external scrutiny. It notes the benefits of actively disclosing information when it is in the public interest, and disclosure of personal email information related to public authority business.<ref name="guidance Sept 11">{{cite news | title = ICO issues FoI guidance for universities : Guardian Government Computing : Guardian Professional | url = http://education.governmentcomputing.com/news/2011/sep/26/higher-education-freedom-information-guidance | newspaper = [[The Guardian]] | date = 26 September 2011 | access-date = 26 June 2014 | archive-date = 3 September 2014 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20140903081548/http://education.governmentcomputing.com/news/2011/sep/26/higher-education-freedom-information-guidance | url-status = live }}</ref>

== Media coverage ==
{{See also|Media coverage of climate change}}
The initial story about the hacking originated in the [[blogosphere]],<ref name="Leiserowitz"/> with columnist [[James Delingpole]] picking up the term "Climategate" from an [[anonymous blogger]] on ''[[Watts Up With That?]]'', a blog created by climate sceptic [[Anthony Watts (blogger)|Anthony Watts]]. The site was one of three blogs that received links to the leaked documents on 17 November 2009. Delingpole first used the word "Climategate" in the title of his 20 November article for ''The Telegraph'': "Climategate: the final nail in the coffin of 'Anthropogenic Global Warming'?" A week later, his co-worker Christopher Booker gave Delingpole credit for coining the term.<ref name="Delingpole1">Allchen 2010, p. 591: "James Delingpole, in a blog for England's ''Telegraph'', promptly dubbed it "Climategate." See: {{cite journal | doi = 10.1525/abt.2010.72.9.15 | volume=72 | title=Using a Free Online Citizen-Science Project to Teach Observation | year=2010 | journal=The American Biology Teacher | pages=590–2 | last1 = Allchin | first1 = Douglas| s2cid=198130418 |postscript=;}} Booker 2009: "A week after my colleague James Delingpole, on his Telegraph blog, coined the term 'Climategate' to describe the scandal revealed by the leaked emails from the University of East Anglia's Climatic Research Unit, Google was showing that the word now appears across the internet more than nine million times." See: Booker, Christopher (2009) "[https://www.telegraph.co.uk/comment/columnists/christopherbooker/6679082/Climate-change-this-is-the-worst-scientific-scandal-of-our-generation.html Climate change: this is the worst scientific scandal of our generation] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180407165011/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/comment/columnists/christopherbooker/6679082/Climate-change-this-is-the-worst-scientific-scandal-of-our-generation.html |date=7 April 2018 }}". ''The Telegraph''. 28 November; For the original article see: Delingpole, James (2009). "[https://archive.today/20120712202637/http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/news/jamesdelingpole/100017393/climategate-the-final-nail-in-the-coffin-of-anthropogenic-global-warming/ Climategate: the final nail in the coffin of 'Anthropogenic Global Warming'?]" ''The Telegraph''. 20 November; Nine days after his original article, Delingpole clarified how he came up with the name. Although he has been given credit for coining and popularizing the term (Booker 2009; Allchin 2010, etc.) he got the original idea from an anonymous blogger named "Bulldust" on the [[Watts Up With That]] blog. See: Delingpole, James (2009). "[https://web.archive.org/web/20091202050033/http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/news/jamesdelingpole/100018246/climategate-how-the-greatest-scientific-scandal-of-our-generation-got-its-name/ Climategate: how the 'greatest scientific scandal of our generation' got its name]". ''The Telegraph''. 29 November; Delingpole told [[Dennis Miller]], "Climategate was the story that I helped to break..." See [[The Dennis Miller Show#The Dennis Miller Show 2|The Dennis Miller Show]]. (28 June 2011). "James Delingpole Interview". Event begins at 2:45.</ref> Following the release of documents in the blogosphere, unproven allegations and personal attacks against scientists increased and made their way into the traditional media. Physicist [[Mark Boslough]] of the University of New Mexico noted that many of the attacks on scientists came from "bloggers, editorial writers, Fox News pundits, and radio talk show hosts who have called them liars and vilified them as frauds". According to [[Chris Mooney (journalist)|Chris Mooney]] and Sheril Kirshenbaum in their book ''[[Unscientific America]]'' (2010), the accusations originated in right-wing media and blogs, "especially on outlets like Fox News". Journalist [[Suzanne Goldenberg]] of ''The Guardian'' reported that according to an analysis by [[Media Matters for America|Media Matters]], "Fox had tried to delegitimise the work of climate scientists in its coverage of the hacked emails from the University of East Anglia" and had "displayed a pattern of trying to skew coverage in favour of the fringe minority which doubts the existence of climate change".<ref name="Fox1">Mooney & Kirshenbaum p. xi: "In the ensuing scandal after the e-mails became public, top climate scientists were accused of withholding information, suppressing dissent, manipulating data, and worse, particularly by right wing media and blogs. The controversy garnered dramatic press attention, especially on outlets like Fox News; and because Climategate occurred just before the critical United Nations climate conference in Copenhagen, Denmark, it knocked the whole event off rhythm in the media sphere." See: {{cite book |last1=Mooney |first1=Chris |last2=Kirshenbaum |first2=Sheril |date=2010 |title=Unscientific America: How Scientific Illiteracy Threatens Our Future |publisher=Basic Books |isbn=978-0-465-01917-5 |postscript=;}} Boslough 2010: "As evidence for human-caused climate change has mounted, global warming denialists have responded by blaming the messengers. Climate researchers have endured abuse by bloggers, editorial writers, Fox News pundits, and radio talk show hosts who have called them liars and vilified them as frauds. The attacks had become increasingly vile as the past decade, the hottest in human history, came to an end. Angry activists have called for firings and criminal investigations, and some prominent scientists have received physical threats." Boslough, Mark (2010). "Mann bites dog: why 'climategate' was newsworthy". ''Skeptical Inquirer''. March–April. '''34''' (2): 14; Goldenberg 2010: "Journalists at Fox News were under orders to cast doubt on any on-air mention of climate change, a leaked email obtained by a media monitoring group revealed today. According to the email, obtained by Media Matters, Fox News's Washington bureau chief, Bill Sammon, imposed an order to make time for climate sceptics within 15 minutes of the airing of a story about a scientific report showing that 2000–2009 was on track to be the hottest decade on record. Media Matters said the bureau chief's response to the report exhibited a pattern of bias by Fox News in its coverage of climate change. It also noted the timing of the directive. The email went out on 8 December last year, when the leaders of nearly 200 countries met in Copenhagen to try to reach a deal on climate change...In addition to the email, it said Fox had tried to delegitimise the work of climate scientists in its coverage of the hacked emails from the University of East Anglia. The network had displayed a pattern of trying to skew coverage in favour of the fringe minority which doubts the existence of climate change, Media Matters said." See Goldenberg, Suzanne. (15 December 2010). "[https://www.theguardian.com/media/2010/dec/15/fox-news-climate-change-email Fox News chief enforced climate change scepticism – leaked email] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170106174415/https://www.theguardian.com/media/2010/dec/15/fox-news-climate-change-email |date=6 January 2017 }}". ''guardian.co.uk''. Guardian News and Media Limited; In addition to the 24/7 news coverage, Fox News created a 17 minute documentary starring climate sceptic [[Patrick J. Michaels]]. See: [[Bret Baier|Baier, Bret]]. (2010) [http://www.cato.org/multimedia/video-highlights/patrick-j-michaels-discusses-climategate-fox-news-documentary Fox News Reporting: Global Warming...or a lot of Hot Air?]  Fox News.</ref>

The intense media coverage of the documents stolen from climate researchers at the University of East Anglia created public confusion about the scientific consensus on climate change, leading several publications to comment on the propagation of the controversy in the media in the wake of a series of investigations that cleared the scientists of any wrongdoing. In an editorial, ''[[The New York Times]]'' described the coverage as a "manufactured controversy" and expressed hope that the investigations clearing the scientists "will receive as much circulation as the original, diversionary controversies".<ref name="TimesEditorial">{{cite news | url = https://www.nytimes.com/2010/07/11/opinion/11sun2.html?_r=1 | title = A Climate Change Corrective | date = 7 November 2010 | work = The New York Times | access-date = 11 July 2010 | archive-date = 4 November 2015 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20151104211008/http://www.nytimes.com/2010/07/11/opinion/11sun2.html?_r=1 | url-status = live }}</ref> Writing for ''[[Newsweek]]'', journalist [[Sharon Begley]] called the controversy a "highly orchestrated, manufactured scandal", noting that the public was unlikely to change their mind. Regardless of the reports exonerating the scientists, Begley noted that "one of the strongest, most-repeated findings in the psychology of belief is that once people have been told ''X'', especially if ''X'' is shocking, if they are later told, 'No, we were wrong about ''X'',' most people still believe ''X''."<ref>{{cite news | title = Newspapers retract Climategate claims but damage still done | series = The Gaggle blog | work = Newsweek | url = http://www.newsweek.com/blogs/the-gaggle/2010/06/25/newspapers-retract-climategate-claims-but-damage-still-done.html | date = 25 June 2010 | access-date = 28 June 2010 | archive-date = 28 June 2010 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20100628135858/http://www.newsweek.com/blogs/the-gaggle/2010/06/25/newspapers-retract-climategate-claims-but-damage-still-done.html | url-status = live }}</ref>

[[Jean-Pascal van Ypersele]], vice-chair of the [[Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change]] (IPCC) and science historian [[Naomi Oreskes]] said that the "attacks on climate science that were made ahead of the Copenhagen climate change summit were 'organised' to undermine efforts to tackle global warming and mirror the earlier tactics of the tobacco industry".<ref>Carrington, Damian (28 October 2010). "[https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2010/oct/28/ipcc-climate-science-attacks-tobacco?mobile-redirect=false IPCC vice-chair: Attacks on climate science echo tobacco industry tactics] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160923005709/https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2010/oct/28/ipcc-climate-science-attacks-tobacco?mobile-redirect=false |date=23 September 2016 }}". ''guardian.co.uk''. Retrieved 27 July 2011.</ref> Noting the [[media circus]] that occurred when the story first broke, Oreskes and Erik Conway writing about [[climate change denial]], said that following the investigations "the vindication of the climate scientists has received very little coverage at all. Vindication is not as sexy as accusation, and many people are still suspicious. After all, some of those emails, taken out of context, sounded damning. But what they show is that climate scientists are frustrated, because for two decades they have been under attack."<ref>Conway, Erik. Oreskes, Naomi (1 June 2010). "[http://www.newstatesman.com/global-issues/2010/05/climate-scientists-science Climate change denial: a history] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110805211249/http://www.newstatesman.com/global-issues/2010/05/climate-scientists-science |date=5 August 2011 }}". ''[[New Statesman]]''. Print version published 31 May 2010. p. 34.</ref>

Bill Royce, head of the European practice on energy, environment and climate change at the United States communications firm [[Burson-Marsteller]], also described the incident as an organised effort to discredit climate science. He said that it was not a single scandal, but "a sustained and coordinated campaign" aimed at undermining the credibility of the science. Disproportionate reporting of the original story, "widely amplified by climate deniers", meant that the reports that cleared the scientists received far less coverage than the original allegations, he said.<ref name="swissinfoch">Häne, Justin; Etienne Strebel (19 July 2010). [http://www.swissinfo.ch/eng/specials/climate_change/news/Climate_scientists_still_trying_to_restore_trust.html?cid=17990364 "Climate scientists still trying to restore trust"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120318170621/http://www.swissinfo.ch/eng/specials/climate_change/news/Climate_scientists_still_trying_to_restore_trust.html?cid=17990364 |date=18 March 2012 }}. ''[[swissinfo.ch]]''.</ref> Journalist Curtis Brainard of the ''[[Columbia Journalism Review]]'' criticised newspapers and magazines for failing to give prominent coverage to the findings of the review panels and said that "readers need to understand that while there is plenty of room to improve the research and communications process, its fundamental tenets remain as solid as ever".<ref name="Brainard2010-07-07" /> [[CNN]] media critic [[Howard Kurtz]] expressed similar sentiments.<ref name="Brainard2010-07-13" />

{{anchor|The Trick}}
In June 2021, the BBC reported that Climategate would be the subject of a film entitled ''The Trick'' with actors Jason Watkins, George MacKay, Victoria Hamilton, Jerome Flynn and Adrian Edmondson.<ref name=BBC_20210609>{{cite news |last1=Mutevelian |first1=Sophie |title=University of East Anglia 'Climategate' scandal to be turned into film |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-norfolk-57402743 |work=BBC |date=9 June 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210609160632/https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-norfolk-57402743 |archive-date=9 June 2021}}</ref>

In November 2021, [[BBC Radio 4]] broadcast a five-part series, ''The Hack that Changed the World'', about the issue; it was presented by BBC Security Correspondent [[Gordon Corera]].<ref>{{cite episode| series= The Hack that Changed the World| airdate= 1 November 2021| station= [[BBC Radio 4]]| title= The Hack that Changed the World| url= https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m00114h2| credits= Presenter: [[Gordon Corera]]; Producer: Sally Abrahams; Editor: Richard Vadon| accessdate= 1 November 2021| archive-date= 1 November 2021| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20211101182629/https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m00114h2| url-status= live}}</ref>

==Public opinion and political fallout==
[[Jon Krosnick]], professor of communication, political science and psychology at [[Stanford University]], said that scientists were overreacting. Referring to his own poll results of the American public, he said: "It's another funny instance of scientists ignoring science." Krosnick found that "Very few professions enjoy the level of confidence from the public that scientists do, and those numbers haven't changed much in a decade. We don't see a lot of evidence that the general public in the United States is picking up on the (University of East Anglia) emails. It's too [[Inside baseball (metaphor)|inside baseball]]."<ref name="krosnick_usatoday">[https://www.usatoday.com/tech/science/columnist/vergano/2010-03-05-global-warming-doubt_N.htm "Some scientists misread poll data on global warming controversy"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110628194812/http://www.usatoday.com/tech/science/columnist/vergano/2010-03-05-global-warming-doubt_N.htm |date=28 June 2011 }}, 9 March 2010, Dan Vergano, ''USA Today''.</ref>

''[[The Christian Science Monitor]]'', in an article titled "Climate scientists exonerated in 'climategate' but public trust damaged", stated: "While public opinion had steadily moved away from belief in man-made global warming before the leaked CRU emails, that trend has only accelerated."<ref name="Jonsson">{{cite news | url = http://www.csmonitor.com/Environment/2010/0707/Climate-scientists-exonerated-in-climategate-but-public-trust-damaged | title = * Climate scientists exonerated in 'climategate' but public trust damaged | last = Jonsson | first = Patrik | date = 7 July 2010 | work = The Christian Science Monitor | access-date = 12 July 2010 | archive-date = 27 December 2019 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20191227164537/https://www.csmonitor.com/Environment/2010/0707/Climate-scientists-exonerated-in-climategate-but-public-trust-damaged | url-status = live }}</ref> [[Paul Krugman]], columnist for ''The New York Times'', argued that this, along with all other incidents that called into question the scientific consensus on climate change, was "a fraud concocted by opponents of climate action, then bought into by many in the news media".<ref name="Krugman2010-07-25" /> But UK journalist [[Fred Pearce]] called the slow response of climate scientists "a case study in how not to respond to a crisis" and "a [[public relations]] disaster".<ref>{{cite web |url=http://e360.yale.edu/content/feature.msp?id=2221 |title=Climategate: Anatomy of A Public Relations Disaster |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101125131655/http://e360.yale.edu/content/feature.msp?id=2221 |archive-date=25 November 2010 |first=Fred |last=Pearce |work=Environment 360 |publisher=[[Yale University]] |date=10 December 2009}}</ref>

A. A. Leiserowitz, Director of the [[Yale University]] Project on Climate Change, and colleagues found in 2010 that:<ref name="Leiserowitz">{{cite journal |vauthors=Leiserowitz AA, Maibach EW, Roser-Renouf C, Smith N, Dawson E |title=Climategate, public opinion, and the loss of trust |journal=American Behavioral Scientist |volume=57 |issue=6 |pages=818–837 |date=June 2013 |doi=10.1177/0002764212458272 }}</ref>
{{blockquote|Climategate had a significant effect on public beliefs in global warming and trust in scientists. The loss of trust in scientists, however, was primarily among individuals with a strongly individualistic worldview or politically conservative ideology. Nonetheless, Americans overall continue to trust scientists more than other sources of information about global warming.}}

In late 2011, [[Steven F. Hayward]] wrote that "Climategate did for the global warming controversy what the [[Pentagon Papers]] did for the Vietnam war 40 years ago: It changed the narrative decisively."<ref>[http://www.weeklystandard.com/articles/climategate-part-ii_610926.html Climategate (Part II)] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120116034449/https://www.weeklystandard.com/articles/climategate-part-ii_610926.html |date=16 January 2012 }} by Steven F. Hayward, The ''[[Weekly Standard]]'', 11 December 2011.</ref> An editorial in [[Nature (journal)|''Nature'']] said that many in the media "were led by the nose, by those with a clear agenda, to a sizzling scandal that steadily defused as the true facts and context were made clear".<ref name="Nature2011-11"/>

== Further release, 2011 ==
On 22 November 2011, a second set of approximately 5,000 emails, apparently hacked from University of East Anglia servers at the same time as those in the 2009 release, was posted on a Russian server, with links distributed to the message boards on several climate-sceptic websites.<ref name=GLH/> A message accompanying the emails quoted selective passages from them, highlighting many of the same issues raised following the original incident. Juliette Jowit and Leo Hickman of ''The Guardian'' said that the new release was "an apparent attempt to undermine public support for international action to tackle climate change" with the start of the 2011 United Nations Climate Change Conference scheduled in [[Durban]], South Africa, a week later.<ref name=GLH>{{cite news | title = Climate scientists defend work in wake of new leak of hacked emails | url = https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2011/nov/23/climate-scientists-hacked-emails-uea | access-date = 2 December 2011 | first = Juliette | last = Jowit | work = [[guardian.co.uk]] | location = London | date = 23 November 2011 | archive-date = 1 October 2013 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20131001055842/http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2011/nov/23/climate-scientists-hacked-emails-uea | url-status = live }}</ref><ref name="TGraph-2011-1125">{{cite news | date = 25 November 2011 | title = Climategate II: the scientists fight back | url = https://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/environment/8915689/Climategate-II-the-scientists-fight-back.html | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20111125210822/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/environment/8915689/Climategate-II-the-scientists-fight-back.html | url-status = dead | archive-date = 25 November 2011 | access-date =2 December 2011 | newspaper = The Daily Telegraph | location=London | first=Geoffrey | last=Lean}}</ref> [[Nature (journal)|''Nature'']] described the further release as a "poor sequel" and claimed that "it is hard for anyone except the most committed conspiracy theorist to see much of interest in the content of the released e-mails, even taken out of context".<ref name="Nature2011-11">{{cite journal |title=A poor sequel |journal=Nature |volume=480 |page=6 |date=December 2011 |doi=10.1038/480006a |issue=7375 |pmid=22129685|bibcode = 2011Natur.480....6. |doi-access=free }}</ref>

== Further reading ==
{{refbegin}}
* {{cite book |author-link=James Lawrence Powell |first=James Lawrence |last=Powell |date=2011 |url=http://cup.columbia.edu/book/the-inquisition-of-climate-science/9780231157193 |title=The Inquisition of Climate Science |publisher=Columbia University Press |isbn=978-0-231-15719-3 |doi=10.7312/powe15718 |oclc=752263463}}
* {{cite book |author-link=Fred Pearce |first=Fred |last=Pearce |date=2010 |title=The Climate Files: The Battle for the Truth about Global Warming |publisher=Guardian Books |location=London |isbn=978-0-85265-229-9 |oclc=651155245}}
* {{Cite journal |last1=Maibach |first1=Edward |last2=Leiserowitz |first2=Anthony |last3=Cobb |first3=Sara |last4=Shank |first4=Michael |last5=Cobb |first5=Kim M. |last6=Gulledge |first6=Jay |date=May 2012 |title=The legacy of climategate: undermining or revitalizing climate science and policy? |journal=WIREs Climate Change |language=en |volume=3 |issue=3 |pages=289–295 |doi=10.1002/wcc.168 |s2cid=145768275 |issn=1757-7780|doi-access=free |bibcode=2012WIRCC...3..289M }}
{{refend}}

== See also ==
{{portal|Global warming|Environment}}
* [[Climate change in the United Kingdom]]
* [[Global warming conspiracy theory]]
* [[Global warming controversy]]
* [[List of -gate scandals and controversies]]

== References ==

{{Reflist
| colwidth = 30em
| refs =
<!-- order the references by author, date published, publisher -->
<!-- BEGIN SECTION FOR UNUSED REFERENCES

<ref name="DB Investment Research">{{cite web |url=http://www.dbcca.com/dbcca/EN/investment-research/investment_research_2355.jsp |title=Investment Research |date= 8 September 2010 |format=PDF |work=Climate Change: Addressing the Major Skeptic Arguments |publisher=DB Climate Change Advisors, [[Deutsche Bank]] |pages=10, 14–16 |access-date=14 September 2010}}</ref>

<ref name="2010-04-06_CRU_statements">
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<ref name="McCarthy2010-07-08">
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| title = 'Conspiracy theories finally laid to rest' by report on leaked climate change emails
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}}</ref>

END SECTION FOR UNUSED REFERENCES-->

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{{cite news
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<ref name="Johnson2009-11-23">
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| access-date = 24 November 2009
| archive-date = 27 November 2009
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20091127060424/http://www.reuters.com/article/GCA-GreenBusiness/idUSTRE5AM4AH20091123
| url-status = live
}}</ref>

<ref name="2009-12-04_BBC">
{{cite news
 |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/8394483.stm
 |title=UN body wants probe of climate email row
 |publisher=BBC
 |date=4 December 2009
 |access-date=6 January 2010
 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100106031400/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/8394483.stm
 |archive-date=6 January 2010
 |quote=Dr Pachauri told BBC Radio 4's The Report programme that the claims were serious and he wants them investigated. "We will certainly go into the whole lot and then we will take a position on it," he said. "We certainly don't want to brush anything under the carpet. This is a serious issue and we will look into it in detail. [...] Saudi Arabia's lead climate negotiator has said the email row will have a "huge impact" on next week's UN climate summit in Copenhagen. [...] Mohammad Al-Sabban told BBC News that he expects it to derail the single biggest objective of the summit&nbsp;– to agree limitations on greenhouse gas emissions. [...] "It appears from the details of the scandal that there is no relationship whatsoever between human activities and climate change," he told BBC News."
 |url-status=dead
}}</ref>

<!--Unsorted below on date, writer (last,first), publication --><ref name="Telegraph2009-12-01">
{{cite news
 |author=Telegraph staff
 |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/copenhagen-climate-change-confe/6703400/Professor-at-centre-of-climate-change-email-row-stands-down-temporarily.html
 |title=Professor at centre of climate change email row stands down temporarily
 |date=1 December 2009
 |work=The Daily Telegraph
 |location=UK
 |access-date=1 December 2009
 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091204140010/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/copenhagen-climate-change-confe/6703400/Professor-at-centre-of-climate-change-email-row-stands-down-temporarily.html
 |archive-date=4 December 2009
 |quote=Professor Phil Jones, the director of a research unit at the centre of a row over climate change data, has said he will stand down from the post while an independent review takes place.
 |url-status=dead
}}</ref>

<ref name="BBC 3 Dec">"[http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/8393449.stm Chair for climate email review] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091206140021/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/8393449.stm |date=6 December 2009 }}", ''[[BBC News]]'', 3 December 2009. Retrieved 5 December.</ref><ref name="UEA 01&nbsp;Dec">
{{cite web
 |url=https://www.uea.ac.uk/mac/comm/media/press/2009/dec/CRUphiljones
 |title=CRU Update 3
 |publisher=[[University of East Anglia]]&nbsp;– Communications Office
 |date=1 December 2009
 |access-date=5 December 2009
 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091211100253/http://www.uea.ac.uk/mac/comm/media/press/2009/nov/CRUupdate
 |archive-date=11 December 2009
 |url-status=dead
}}</ref>

<ref name="Monbiot 11-25">[https://www.theguardian.com/environment/georgemonbiot/2009/nov/25/monbiot-climate-leak-crisis-response Pretending the climate email leak isn't a crisis won't make it go away] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170117063016/https://www.theguardian.com/environment/georgemonbiot/2009/nov/25/monbiot-climate-leak-crisis-response |date=17 January 2017 }}, by George Monbiot, [[The Guardian]], 25 November 2009</ref>

<ref name="Inhofe 23 Nov">
{{cite web
| url = http://epw.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?FuseAction=Minority.Blogs&ContentRecord_id=2188feb3-802a-23ad-4de4-3fbc0a92e126&Issue_id
| last = Dempsey
| first = Matt
| title = Listen: Inhofe Says He Will Call for Investigation on "Climategate" on Washington Times Americas Morning Show
| date = 23 November 2009
| work=The Inhofe EPW Press Blog
| publisher=U.S. Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works
| access-date =29 November 2009
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20091124234129/http://epw.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?FuseAction=Minority.Blogs&ContentRecord_id=2188feb3-802a-23ad-4de4-3fbc0a92e126&Issue_id
| archive-date = 24 November 2009
}}</ref>

<ref name="Guardian 23 Nov">{{cite news
|last=Hickman
|first=Leo
|url=https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2009/nov/23/climate-sceptics-bob-ward-nigel-lawson
|title=Climate change champion and sceptic both call for inquiry into leaked emails
|date=23 November 2009
|newspaper=The Guardian
|access-date=25 November 2009
|location=London
|archive-date=10 September 2013
|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130910175251/http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2009/nov/23/climate-sceptics-bob-ward-nigel-lawson
|url-status=live
}}</ref>

<ref name="Broder2009-12-01">{{cite news
| url = https://www.nytimes.com/2009/12/02/science/earth/02scientist.html?_r=1&ref=earth
| title = Climatologist Leaves Post in Inquiry Over email Leaks
| last = Broder
| first = John M.
| newspaper = The New York Times
| date = 1 December 2009
| access-date = 27 July 2010
| archive-date = 6 March 2014
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20140306134243/http://www.nytimes.com/2009/12/02/science/earth/02scientist.html?_r=1&ref=earth
| url-status = live
}}</ref>

<ref name="PSU Mann review">
{{cite web
 |url=http://www.ems.psu.edu/sites/default/files/u5/Mann_Public_Statement.pdf
 |title=University Reviewing Recent Reports on Climate Information
 |publisher=College of Earth and Mineral Sciences, Pennsylvania State University
 |access-date=6 December 2009
 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101227105823/http://www.ems.psu.edu/sites/default/files/u5/Mann_Public_Statement.pdf
 |archive-date=27 December 2010
 |url-status=dead
}}</ref>

<ref name="AP 3 Dec">
{{cite news
 |url=https://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5izNbUAsY0l5eBzcvw_JFleAvawuwD9CC3NF00
 |title=Penn St. prof. welcomes climate change scrutiny
 |author=Genaro C. Armas, [[Associated Press]]
 |date=3 December 2009
 |access-date=6 December 2009
 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091208184128/http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5izNbUAsY0l5eBzcvw_JFleAvawuwD9CC3NF00
 |archive-date=8 December 2009
 |url-status=dead
}}
</ref>

<ref name="timesonline20091206">
{{cite news
 |title=Climate e-mails were hijacked 'to sabotage summit'
 |url=http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/environment/copenhagen/article6946281.ece
 |last=Webster
 |first=Ben
 |date=6 December 2009
 |work=[[The Times]]
 |location=UK
 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110629110335/http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/environment/copenhagen/article6946281.ece
 |archive-date=29 June 2011
 |access-date=26 March 2010
 |url-status=dead
}}</ref>

<ref name="NEN 1 Dec">
{{cite news
| last = Lowthorpe
| first = Shaun
| date = 1 December 2009
| title = Scotland Yard call in to probe climate data leak from UEA in Norwich
| url = http://www.eveningnews24.co.uk/content/News/story.aspx?brand=ENOnline&category=News&tBrand=enonline&tCategory=news&itemid=NOED01%20Dec%202009%2013%3A17%3A48%3A733
| work=[[Norwich Evening News]]
}}</ref>

<ref name="Guardian 5 Dec 09">{{cite news
| author = David Batty and agencies
| url = https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2009/dec/05/met-office-publish-climate-data
| title = Met Office to publish climate change data amid fraud claims
| newspaper = The Guardian
| date = 5 December 2009
| access-date = 26 July 2010
| location = London
| archive-date = 6 May 2021
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20210506194303/http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2009/dec/05/met-office-publish-climate-data
| url-status = live
}}</ref>

<ref name="MetOffice">
{{cite web
| url = http://www.metoffice.gov.uk/corporate/pressoffice/2009/pr20091205.html
| title = Release of global-average temperature data, Met Office press release
| publisher=metoffice.gov.uk
| date = 5 December 2009
| access-date =26 July 2010
|archive-url=http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/20091209150729/www.metoffice.gov.uk/corporate/pressoffice/2009/pr20091205.html|archive-date=9 December 2009}}</ref>

<ref name="CNN 6 Dec">{{cite news
| url = http://www.cnn.com/2009/TECH/science/12/05/climate.data.met.office/
| title = UK Met Office to publish climate record
| publisher = CNN
| date = 6 December 2009
| access-date = 26 July 2010
| archive-date = 15 September 2020
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20200915045004/http://www.cnn.com/2009/TECH/science/12/05/climate.data.met.office/
| url-status = live
}}</ref>

<ref name="NEN 11 Jan">
{{cite news | last = Greaves | first = Tara
| title = Extremism fears surround Norwich email theft
| url = http://www.eveningnews24.co.uk/content/News/story.aspx?brand=ENOnline&category=News&tBrand=enonline&tCategory=news&itemid=NOED09%20Jan%202010%2010%3A40%3A22%3A830
| work=Norwich Evening News
| date = 11 January 2010
}}</ref>

<ref name="BBC 11 Jan">{{cite news
| title = Police extremist unit helps climate change email probe
| url = http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/norfolk/8453117.stm
| work = BBC News
| date = 11 January 2010
| access-date = 11 January 2010
| archive-date = 26 January 2021
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20210126211928/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/norfolk/8453117.stm
| url-status = live
}}</ref>

<ref name="Guardian 9 Feb part2">{{cite news
| url = https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2010/feb/09/climategate-bogus-sceptics-lies
| title = Part two: How the 'climategate' scandal is bogus and based on climate sceptics' lies
| last = Pearce
| first = Fred
| author-link = Fred Pearce
| date = 9 February 2010
| newspaper = The Guardian
| location = UK
| access-date = 20 March 2010
| archive-date = 12 May 2021
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20210512160556/https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2010/feb/09/climategate-bogus-sceptics-lies
| url-status = live |ref={{harvid|Pearce|20100320}}
}}</ref>

<ref name="fc_2009-12-10">{{cite web
| url = http://factcheck.org/2009/12/climategate/
| title = Climategate
| publisher = [[FactCheck.org]]
| date = 10 December 2009
| access-date = 4 January 2010
| archive-date = 6 January 2010
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20100106215323/http://www.factcheck.org/2009/12/climategate/
| url-status = live
}}</ref>

<ref name="ap_2009-12-12">{{Cite web |url=https://www.usnews.com/articles/news/energy/2009/12/12/climategate-science-not-faked-but-not-pretty_print.htm |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130105022737/http://www.usnews.com/articles/news/energy/2009/12/12/climategate-science-not-faked-but-not-pretty_print.htm |url-status=dead |archive-date=2013-01-05 |title=Climategate: Science Not Faked, But Not Pretty |publisher=[[Associated Press]] |date=2009-12-03 |access-date=2009-12-29}}</ref>

<ref name="SAP-Report">{{cite web
 |url          = http://www.uea.ac.uk/mac/comm/media/press/CRUstatements/SAP
 |last         = Oxburgh
 |first        = Ron
 |author-link  = Ronald Oxburgh, Baron Oxburgh
 |author2      = Huw Davies
 |author3      = Kerry Emanuel
 |author4      = Lisa Graumlich
 |author5      = David Hand
 |author6      = Herbert Huppert
 |author7      = Michael Kelly
 |title        = Report of the International Panel set up by the University of East Anglia to examine the research of the Climatic Research Unit
 |date         = 14 April 2010
 |format       = PDF
 |publisher    = University of East Anglia
 |quote        = Submitted to the University 12 April 2010, with Addendum to report, 19&nbsp;April 2010
 |access-date  = 27 April 2010
 |archive-date = 22 April 2010
 |archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20100422185328/http://www.uea.ac.uk/mac/comm/media/press/CRUstatements/SAP
 |url-status   = live
}}</ref>

<ref name="NYTimes 24 Nov">{{cite news
| url=https://www.nytimes.com/cwire/2009/11/24/24climatewire-stolen-e-mails-sharpen-a-brawl-between-clima-19517.html
| title=Stolen E-Mails Sharpen a Brawl Between Climate Scientists and Skeptics
| work=The New York Times
| access-date=25 November 2009
| first=Lauren
| last=Morello
| date=24 November 2009
| archive-date=26 November 2009
| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091126055804/http://www.nytimes.com/cwire/2009/11/24/24climatewire-stolen-e-mails-sharpen-a-brawl-between-clima-19517.html
| url-status=live
}}</ref>

<ref name="AP 22 Nov">{{cite news
| title = Scientist: Leak of climate e-mails appalling
| url = http://www.physorg.com/news178199129.html
| agency = Associated Press
| date = 22 November 2009
| access-date = 22 May 2010
| archive-date = 5 June 2011
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20110605230227/http://www.physorg.com/news178199129.html
| url-status = live
}}</ref>

<ref name="ABC Collins 9 Dec">{{cite news
| url = http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2009/12/09/2766508.htm
| title = Climate scientist receives death threats
| last = Collins
| first = Antonette
| publisher = Australian Broadcasting Corporation
| date = 8 December 2009
| access-date = 22 May 2010
| archive-date = 15 September 2010
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20100915092751/http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2009/12/09/2766508.htm
| url-status = dead
}}</ref>

<ref name="Reuters 25 Nov">{{cite news
| url = https://www.reuters.com/article/internal_ReutersNewsRoom_BehindTheScenes_MOLT/idUSTRE5AO4TW20091125
| title = Hacked climate emails called a smear campaign
| last = Feldman
| first = Stacy
| work = Reuters
| access-date = 26 November 2009
| date = 25 November 2009
| archive-date = 27 November 2009
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20091127142232/http://www.reuters.com/article/internal_ReutersNewsRoom_BehindTheScenes_MOLT/idUSTRE5AO4TW20091125
| url-status = live
}}</ref>

<ref name="IPCC WGI">{{cite web
| title = Statement by Working Group I of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change on stolen emails from the Climatic Research Unit at the University of East Anglia, United Kingdom
| work = [[IPCC]]
| date = 4 December 2009
| url = http://www.ipcc.ch/pdf/presentations/WGIstatement04122009.pdf
| access-date = 8 December 2009
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20091205173415/http://www.ipcc.ch/pdf/presentations/WGIstatement04122009.pdf
| archive-date = 5 December 2009
| url-status = dead
}}</ref>

<ref name="IPCC RKP">{{cite web
| title = IPCC Chairman statement on news reports regarding hacking of the East Anglia University email communications
| work = [[IPCC]]
| date = 4 December 2009
| url = http://www.ipcc.ch/pdf/presentations/rkp-statement-4dec09.pdf
| access-date = 8 December 2009
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20091205173352/http://www.ipcc.ch/pdf/presentations/rkp-statement-4dec09.pdf
| archive-date = 5 December 2009
| url-status = dead
}}</ref>

<ref name="AMS clarification">
{{cite web
 |title=Impact of CRU Hacking on the AMS Statement on Climate Change
 |url=http://www.ametsoc.org/policy/climatechangeclarify.html
 |publisher=American Meteorological Society
 |date=25 November 2009
 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091130031953/http://www.ametsoc.org/policy/climatechangeclarify.html
 |archive-date=30 November 2009
 |url-status=dead
}}</ref>

<ref name="AGU Statement">
{{cite web
| url = http://www.agu.org/news/archives/2009-12-08_hacked-emails-climate-researchshtml.shtml
| title = AGU News: AGU Statement Regarding the Recent Release of E-mails
| date = 8 December 2009
| publisher=[[American Geophysical Union]]
| access-date =22 May 2010
|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100218112451/http://www.agu.org/news/archives/2009-12-08_hacked-emails-climate-researchshtml.shtml|archive-date=18 February 2010}}</ref>

<ref name="AAAS">{{cite web
| url = http://www.aaas.org/news/releases/2009/1204climate_statement.shtml
| title = AAAS Reaffirms Statements on Climate Change and Integrity
| publisher = [[American Association for the Advancement of Science]]
| access-date = 8 December 2009
| date = 4 December 2009
| archive-date = 7 December 2009
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20091207122233/http://www.aaas.org/news/releases/2009/1204climate_statement.shtml
| url-status = live
}}</ref>

<ref name="ABC O'Neill 9 Dec">{{cite news
| url = http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2009/12/09/2766874.htm?site=thedrum
| title = The ugly side of climate politics
| last = O'Neill
| first = Margot
| work = The Drum
| publisher = ABC
| date = 8 December 2009
| access-date = 17 April 2010
| archive-date = 10 November 2012
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20121110141639/http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2009/12/09/2766874.htm?site=thedrum
| url-status = dead
}}</ref>

<ref name="Times statement 9 Dec">
{{cite news
| url = http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/environment/article6950783.ece
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20110510010327/http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/environment/article6950783.ece
| archive-date = 10 May 2011
| title = Statement from the UK science community
|work=[[The Times]] |location=UK | date = 9 December 2009
| access-date =9 December 2009
 | first=Sadie
 | last=Gray
}}</ref>

<ref name="Newsweek blog James Hanse 25 Nov">
{{cite web
| url = http://blog.newsweek.com/blogs/thehumancondition/archive/2009/11/25/james-hansen-climate-change-evidence-overwhelming-hacked-emails-indicate-poor-judgement.aspx
| title = James Hansen: Climate Change Evidence 'Overwhelming,' Hacked E-mails 'Indicate Poor Judgement' – The Human Condition Blog
|work=Newsweek
| access-date =26 November 2009
|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091127085959/http://blog.newsweek.com/blogs/thehumancondition/archive/2009/11/25/james-hansen-climate-change-evidence-overwhelming-hacked-emails-indicate-poor-judgement.aspx|archive-date=27 November 2009}}</ref>

<ref name="Storch">
{{cite web
 |url=http://coast.gkss.de/G/Mitarbeiter/storch/
 |title=Hans von Storch
 |publisher=coast.gkss.de
 |access-date=28 November 2009
 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110719032400/http://coast.gkss.de/G/Mitarbeiter/storch/
 |archive-date=19 July 2011
 |url-status=dead
}}</ref>

<ref name="wsjms">{{cite news
| last = Johnson
| first = Keith
| title = Lawmakers Probe Climate Emails
| date = 24 November 2009
| work = The Wall Street Journal
| url = https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB125902685372961609
| access-date = 26 July 2010
| archive-date = 28 December 2009
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20091228044344/http://online.wsj.com/article/SB125902685372961609.html
| url-status = live
}}</ref>

<ref name="Moore2009-11-24">
{{cite news
 |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/environment/globalwarming/6637006/Climate-change-scientists-face-calls-for-public-inquiry-over-data-manipulation-claims.html
 |title=Climate change scientists face calls for public inquiry over data manipulation claims
 |last=Moore
 |first=Matthew
 |work=The Daily Telegraph
 |location=UK
 |date=24 November 2009
 |access-date=8 January 2010
 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091127050226/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/environment/globalwarming/6637006/Climate-change-scientists-face-calls-for-public-inquiry-over-data-manipulation-claims.html
 |archive-date=27 November 2009
 |quote=said Lord Lawson, Margaret Thatcher's former chancellor who has reinvented himself as a critic of climate change science. "They were talking about destroying various files in order to prevent data being revealed under the Freedom of Information Act and they were trying to prevent other dissenting scientists from having their articles published in learned journals. "It may be that there's an innocent explanation for all this... but there needs to be a fundamental independent inquiry to get at the truth."
 |url-status=dead
}}</ref>

<ref name="Flam2009-12_08">
{{cite news
 |title=Penn State scientist at center of a storm
 |url=http://www.philly.com/inquirer/magazine/78665162.html
 |last=Flam
 |first=Faye
 |author-link=Faye Flam
 |work=[[The Philadelphia Inquirer]]
 |date=8 December 2009
 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091213045304/http://www.philly.com/inquirer/magazine/78665162.html
 |archive-date=13 December 2009
 |url-status=dead
}}</ref>

<ref name="Trenberth-NCAR">{{cite web |url=http://www.cgd.ucar.edu/cas/Trenberth/statement.html |title=Brouhaha over Hacked Climate Emails. Statement: Kevin Trenberth on Hacking of Climate Files|website=Climate Analysis Section, Climate & Global Dynamics Division of the National Center for Atmospheric Research Earth Systems Laboratory |author=Kevin Trenberth |author-link=Kevin Trenberth |year=2010 |publisher=[[National Center for Atmospheric Research]] |quote=In my case, one cherry-picked email quote has gone viral and at last check it was featured in over 107,000 items (in Google). Here is the quote: "''The fact is that we can't account for the lack of warming at the moment and it is a travesty that we can't.''" It is amazing to see this particular quote lambasted so often. It stems from a paper I published this year bemoaning our inability to effectively monitor the energy flows associated with short-term climate variability. It is quite clear from the paper that I was not questioning the link between anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions and warming, or even suggesting that recent temperatures are unusual in the context of short-term natural variability. The paper on this is available here...|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100611224809/http://www.cgd.ucar.edu/cas/Trenberth/statement.html|archive-date=11 June 2010}}</ref>

<ref name="EPA 1.1.4">{{cite web |url=http://epa.gov/climatechange/endangerment/petitions/volume1.html#1-1-4 |title=Denial of Petitions for Reconsideration of the Endangerment and Cause or Contribute Findings for Greenhouse Gases under Section 202(a) of the Clean Air Act &#124; Regulatory Initiatives &#124; Climate Change |date=29 September 2010 |publisher=[[United States Environmental Protection Agency]] |page=1.1.4 |access-date=26 October 2010 |archive-date=29 October 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101029162546/http://www.epa.gov/climatechange/endangerment/petitions/volume1.html#1-1-4 |url-status=live }}</ref>

<ref name="EPA 1.2.2.2">{{cite web |url=http://epa.gov/climatechange/endangerment/petitions/volume1.html#1-20 |title=Denial of Petitions for Reconsideration of the Endangerment and Cause or Contribute Findings for Greenhouse Gases under Section 202(a) of the Clean Air Act &#124; Regulatory Initiatives &#124; Climate Change |date=29 September 2010 |publisher=[[United States Environmental Protection Agency]] |page=1.2.2.2 Response (1–21) |quote=Peabody Energy’s assertion that Trenberth was implying that the 'science is too uncertain to determine whether GHG reductions will produce a measurable climate response,' is a gross mischaracterization of the meaning and significance of both the quote and Trenberth's position. Trenberth was not implying or questioning the validity of climate models used for attribution and projections. He was identifying a gap in the Earth-observing system, which if filled, would improve our understanding of short-term variations in climate. |access-date=26 October 2010 |archive-date=29 October 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101029162546/http://www.epa.gov/climatechange/endangerment/petitions/volume1.html#1-20 |url-status=live }}</ref>

<ref name="Nature_2009-12-03">{{Cite journal| doi = 10.1038/462545a| pmid = 19956212| year = 2009| title = Climatologists under pressure| volume = 462| issue = 7273| page = 545| journal = Nature|bibcode = 2009Natur.462..545. | doi-access = free}}</ref>

}}<!-- end of reflist -->

== External links ==
* [http://climatecrocks.com/2011/04/28/unwinding-hide-the-decline/ Unwinding “Hide the Decline”], detailed video coverage on climatecrocks.com, 28 April 2011.
* [https://www.theguardian.com/environment/series/climate-wars-hacked-emails Climate wars: The story of the hacked emails], the full manuscript of an investigation by ''[[The Guardian]]'' into the emails.
* [https://www.theguardian.com/environment/audio/2010/jul/15/guardian-climategate-hacked-emails-debate Audio recording] of a ''[[The Guardian|Guardian]]''-sponsored debate on Climategate, held on 15 July 2010. The debaters were Trevor Davies, Doug Keenan, [[Stephen McIntyre]], [[Fred Pearce]], and [[Robert Watson (scientist)|Bob Watson]]; the debate was chaired by [[George Monbiot]].
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20091214183407/http://mitworld.mit.edu/video/730 "The Great Climategate Debate"]. A video of a lecture held at the [[MIT]] School of Science on 10 December 2009. The moderator was Henry D. Jacoby (MIT). Speakers were [[Kerry Emanuel]] (MIT), Judith Layzer (MIT), Stephen Ansolabehere (MIT and Harvard), Ronald G. Prinn (MIT), and [[Richard Lindzen]] (MIT).
* [http://www.parliamentlive.tv/Main/Player.aspx?meetingId=5979 "The disclosure of climate data from the Climatic Research Unit at the University of East Anglia"]. Video of [[Science and Technology Select Committee|House of Commons Select Committee]] oral evidence session, held on Monday 1 March 2010 at 3&nbsp;pm. Witnesses are: (1) Rt Hon [[Lord Lawson of Blaby]], Chairman, and Dr [[Benny Peiser]], Director, [[Global Warming Policy Foundation]]; (2) Richard Thomas CBE; (3) Professor Edward Acton, Vice-Chancellor, University of East Anglia, and Professor Phil Jones, Director of the Climatic Research Unit; (4) Sir Muir Russell KCB, Head of the Independent Climate Change emails Review; (5) Professor [[John Beddington]], Government Chief Scientific Adviser, Professor Julia Slingo [[OBE]], Chief Scientist, Met Office, and Professor [[Robert Watson (scientist)|Bob Watson]], Chief Scientist, [[Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs]].
* {{Cite episode|title=Climate of Doubt|series=Frontline|series-link=Frontline (American TV program)|network=[[PBS]]|station=[[WGBH-TV|WGBH]]|date=October 23, 2012|season=30|number=22|url=https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/frontline/documentary/climate-of-doubt/|access-date=April 26, 2025}}

{{Global warming|state=collapsed}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Climatic Research Unit Email Hacking Incident}}
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