In recent months there have been three investigations into the “climategate” scandal and the the scientists and their exposed emails that generated it. All three of these investigations exonerated the scientists involved of any wrongdoing. What has not been widely reported is that two of these investigations were conducted by the universities that employ the scientists and that benefit from millions of dollars in research grants that these scientists generate, and the third was commissioned by one of those same universities. As climatologist Pat Michaels notes in today’s Wall St. Journal, “[These] institutions receive tens of millions in federal global warming
research funding… Any admission of substantial
scientific misbehavior would likely result in a significant loss of
funding.” The fact is that the conclusions of these investigations should be taken with the same level of seriousness as investigations into the health effects of smoking done by the tobacco industry. Michaels’ WSJ article is a must read for anyone concerned about the integrity of this process.