PSU Clears Michael Mann of Fraud Allegation
Michael Mann cleared of science fraud
charges made by climate sceptics
Four-month university investigation
clears climate scientist Mann of research misconduct allegations made by
climate change deniers
The
Guardian (U.K), July 2, 2010
The climate scientist Michael Mann, who has
been under relentless attack from sceptics since the exposure of emails
at East Anglia’s Climatic Research Unit, was cleared of research
misconduct by a university investigation yesterday.
The four-month internal investigation by
Pennsylvania State University found no evidence for charges made by
climate sceptics that Mann had violated university ethics. The committee
cleared Mann of the much more serious charges of falsifying and
manipulating data last February.
The climate scientist is the author of the
iconic “hockey stick” graph, , showing a recent and rapid rise in the
earth's temperature. The graphic depiction of global warming made Mann a
prime target of those who deny the existence of climate change.
But the campaign against Mann escalated to new
heights after emails taken from the Climatic Research Unit's server
showed discussion over his use of a statistical "trick" to "hide the
decline.” Climate sceptics accused Mann of science fraud.
In its announcement yesterday, the university
noted Mann's "outstanding" work was widely recognised in science circles
– discounting accusations of misconduct. However, it chided him for
circulating the unpublished work of other researchers without their
consent.
Mann told Climate Science Watch that the
decision was a vindication for scientists, who have been under attack
since the release of thousands of emails from East Anglia last November.
"It's become clear that all of the claims that
they had made originally, about the stolen CRU emails, are incorrect and
do not stand up to scrutiny," he said. "There is no evidence of any
impropriety on the part of the scientists. There's no indication of the
fudging of data. There's no indication of any of the things they claim
that these emails showed. And every investigation that's been done thus
far has concluded that."
Mann added: "They have fundamentally failed in
their effort to prove that climate change is a grand hoax."
His personal battle will go on however.
Virginia's Republican attorney general is trying to investigate Mann for
defrauding government research grants while he was at the University of
Virginia.
guardian.co.uk © Guardian News and Media
Limited 2010
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