GWPF have responded to the Times' silly "sceptics funded by big oil" story, pointing out that their articles of association preclude them from accepting oil money. Despite this the Times have tried to link them to big oil and have refused them a right of reply.
Richard Black discusses global warming scepticism alongside consideration of neo-nazi attacks on Stephen Schneider. Nice.
Adam Corner, writing in the THES, says that the CRU scientists were exonerated (H/T Doug Keenan) and argues that peer review is still effective. Doug Keenan has written to him putting him right. There is an accompanying editorial which repeats the central theme but at least seems to think there are lessons to be learned.
Dear Dr. Corner,
Your article asserts that researchers at the Climatic Research Unit have been exonerated of wrongdoing. I dispute that.
I have alleged that Phil Jones committed fraud in his work on the 2007 IPCC Report. My allegation was published in a peer-reviewed paper. It was also widely publicized, including in a front-page story in The Guardian. Yet neither the Russell Review nor the Oxburgh Review considered any of the evidence for the allegation.
Other people have also had their allegations against researchers at CRU not properly investigated. David Holland’s allegation, for example—where the Russell Review just asked CRU researchers and their supporters if the researchers were guilty, and then accepted the replies without question, or asking Holland for comment.
The Reviews were plainly not attempting to reach justice. That, however, is not the problem. The real problem is that the lack of systemic accountability. The reviews were ad hoc responses and should never have existed. There should be some general mechanism in place whereby allegations of improper behavior are dealt with.
There are tens of thousands of scientists in the United Kingdom. As far as I know, none have been convicted of research fraud in at least twenty years. That is not credible. What kind of society would we have if there were no police, judiciary, or prisons? That, in effect, is the system in place in science today.
The result is a culture of impunity. The main problems with the peer review system are consequences of that culture. There are many other consequences: bogus research is widespread.
Sincerely,
Douglas J. Keenan