January 28, 2010

The scientific unit at the heart of the climate change emails scandal broke the law by hiding data from sceptics.

Researchers at the University of East Anglia breached the Freedom of Information Act by refusing to comply with requests for the data.

The decision by the Information Commissioner’s Office comes months after controversial emails from the university’s Climatic Research Unit, a global leader in its field, were released on to the internet.

In one email the head of the unit, Professor Phil Jones, asked a colleague to delete emails relating to a report by the UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.

In another message, Professor Jones told how he had persuaded the university to ignore Freedom of Information requests from sceptics.

Others showed how an eminent climatologist admitted it was a ‘travesty’ scientists could not explain a lack of global warming in recent years.

The Information Commissioner’s Office yesterday revealed the university had failed in it duties under the Freedom of Information Act.

But it is powerless to prosecute those involved because the complaint was not made within six months of the offence, as required under the Act.

Deputy Information Commissioner Graham Smith said Freedom of Information requests were ‘not dealt with as they should have been under the legislation’.

The circumstances surrounding the emails are the subject of an inquiry commissioned by the university, and separately by Norfolk police.

Scientists at the University of East Anglia were encouraged to delete emails concerning claims that man-made emissions were causing global warming

Phil Willis, LibDem chairman of the parliamentary science and technology select committee-which is conducting its own inquiry, called on the university to honour the data requests as soon as possible.

‘I think that is an extremely serious charge. I don’t think you can have the inquiry unless you have all the issues relating to it out in the open,’ he told the Guardian.

‘Given the seriousness of this issue, the fact that it has caused global consternation, and has given ammunition to

the climate sceptics  -  to have such a serious breach and for there to be no recourse in law requires urgent attention by the Government,’ he added.

‘If there has been a breach in this situation then the most honourable thing for the university to do would be to honour the request in its totality with all speed.’

A spokesman for the university said that it was not aware of Mr Smith’s statement that it broke the law.

She said: ‘The way Freedom of Information requests have been handled is one of the main areas being explored by Sir Muir Russell’s independent review.

‘We have already made clear that the findings of the review will be made public and that we will act as is appropriate on its recommendations.’

The revelations came after the Government’s chief scientific adviser declared scientists must be more ‘honest and open’ about the uncertainties of global warming.

Professor John Beddington said researchers should be less hostile to sceptics who question their predictions.

Professor Beddington’s comments follow a series of blunders by climate scientists.

Last week, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change was forced to apologise after wrongly claiming most of the Himalayan glaciers would vanish within 25 years.

It also exaggerated claims that global warming will increase the number of tropical storms.

‘I don’t think it’s healthy to dismiss proper scepticism,’ Professor Beddington told the Times.

‘Science grows and improves in the light of criticism. There is a fundamental uncertainty about climate change prediction that can’t be changed.’