The collateral damage from the emails is large

This doesn’t just bring down the scientists who wrote the emails, it brings down all the institutions and organizations that were supposed to have exacting standards and ought to have exposed this years ago. These men, whose work was so bogus, were lauded by the IPCC, published in Nature and Science, and defended by the National Academy of Science.

This evidence of collusion, falsification, hiding data, and consistent deceit blows away the infrastructures of the practice of science. It doesn’t hurt the scientific method, but it destroys the premise that the IPCC expert review means anything, that peer review is capable of even picking up outright fraud, and that the National Academy of Science is functional.

In other words, all the human processes of science, the journals, the famous peer review, the committees with international reviewers: they have also been exposed as corrupted to some degree.

This is much more than just the downfall of three or four men.

Of the 26 names on the Copenhagen Diagnosis, 12 are connected to the email scandal. It implicates almost half the lead team. The IPCC only had 60 reviewers of the one chapter that matters (Chapter Nine), and some of them reviewed their own work, many had vested interests, and now a significant number have been caught by the scandal.

The legal claws means it won’t just go away

Phil Jones has stepped down pending an investigation.

Mann is now under investigation by Pennsylvania State University.

Competitive Enterprise Institute (CEI) had their attorneys file three Notices of Intent to File Suit against NASA. Chris Horner, representing CEI, said the NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies failed to comply with the Freedom of Information Act for the past three years.

We’ve discussed some criminal charges in detail.

The top two auditors have been suspended.

UPDATE: Europol story that Carbon Credit Fraud costs $5 billion

The European Union (EU) Emission Trading System (ETS) has been the victim of fraudulent traders in the past 18 months. This resulted in losses of approximately 5 billion euros for several national tax revenues. It is estimated that in some countries, up to 90% of the whole market volume was caused by fraudulent activities. (Thanks to Springer ).

Scientists are speaking out

Prominent long time climate scientists and UN scientists are speaking out. Dr Petr Chylek who has published over 100 papers says, “We cannot blame it on a few irresponsible individuals. The entire esteemed climate research community has to take responsibility.”

Top ranking physicists are speaking out against their association. (And CBS is even covering it.)

There is inflammable material in the path

The burning fuse that has been lit by ClimateGate may eventually spread to take down editors and publishers of popular magazines and mainstream media. As the public learn the news from friends, blogs, and community newspapers, some publications will be left behind. The credibility of some mastheads may never recover.

Being the victim of a well intentioned exaggeration is vastly different from falling to a predetermined malicious fraud.

The thing that makes the ClimateGate mix so powerful is that it taps into a universal human attribute. Being the victim of a well intentioned exaggeration is vastly different from falling to a predetermined malicious fraud. There is energy from the masses that would fuel a rebellion. Behind the scenes, well connected businessmen in California, surgeons in Sydney, lawyers in the UK, and top ranking physicists are emailling and linking up. Networks of graphic designers, movie makers, and animators are planning ways to fight back.

No one can keep the largest scam in history a secret. But the major movers and brains behind this must know that too. That’s why I’m still very afraid that they will still get a deal done. Those with billions resting on the table know that this is their last chance to salvage game-changing profits.

People everywhere, you still need to let your elected representatives know, before it’s too late, that any deal done in Copenhagen is based on fraud; that voters will come to know it; that the masses will revolt.

I was speaking to Australian Senators and their staff last night. The thousands of messages made a big impact. Their staffers were overwhelmed.

If you think you are safe because you have faith that your congress or senate will protect you, think again. If most of the big nations move, the other nations will push with everything they have to force your country to join in. There is no way they’ll want you to have that unbridled competitive advantage. How could one or two nations stand against the trade forces of the rest?

UPDATE Friday 12:46 WST: Europol story that Carbon Credit Fraud costs $5 billion. See above. (Thanks to Springer who has a great quote about carbon credits on his site.)

http://joannenova.com.au/2009/12/the-climategate-virus/