Thursday, December 03, 2009

ClimateHackerGate! CRU First Hacked In October????

An interesting development:

E-mails alleged to undermine climate change science were held back for weeks after being stolen so that their release would cause maximum damage to the Copenhagen climate conference, according to a source close to the investigation of the theft.

[...]

The first hack was in October or earlier, the source said. The e-mails were not leaked until mid-November.

Interesting because, back on the 25th, I theorized that the hackers might have first shown a selection of illegally obtained emails to the BBC's Paul Hudson back in October and then--perhaps because he didn't write on them--hit the CRU server again for more of the good stuff. This new development would be consistent with that theory, which would be uncomfortable for Mr. Hudson, as it would mean he sat on illegally obtained emails without reporting them for a whole month.

Also--since the private CRU emails discuss Briffa's tree-ring proxies and Tijander and etc.--did the hackers delay their release in the hopes of harvesting more embarrassing material on this particular topic? That might put them in rather close proximity to Steve M's gang at CA, since he was the guy stirring the pot on these issues. In any case, it is clear that the emails were held back for weeks after being stolen so that their release would cause maximum damage to the Copenhagen climate conference. That's the takeaway message.

18 comments:

Anonymous said...

So does that make the emails any less true?

bigcitylib said...

Truthwise, the emails are pretty harmless. When seen as an attempt to swift-boat climate scientists, the timing is significant.

Mark Richard Francis said...

Isn't it amazing how much traction you can get by negatively framing otherwise innocuous words?

This has been an excellent example of how populism can be used to overcome reason.

Anonymous said...

Saying they can't explain why the earth hasn't warmed up in the last 10 years is "harmless" or "innocent"?

Any scientist worth their weight NEVER gets rid of raw data in case results get skewed. Harmless or innocent?

A director does not resign if he has absolutely nothing to hide. Harmless or innocent?

If I were a climate change believer I might try to spin the emails so they don't sound so bad but there is just too much questionable content to overlook.

Lastly, Liberals have blindly believed one individual because he said there was torture going on when several high ranking generals said otherwise. Yet when many scientists are questioning global warming you don't want to listen to them. Instead you want to go ahead and spend billions of dollars on the hearsay of a few "chosen" scientists.

I just don't get it.

Ti-Guy said...

I just don't get it.

Big surprise. You never get any.

Anonymous said...

T-Guy . . . Have you ever ever posted anything of value or are you just an a__hole throwing stones from afar and running and hiding so you won't have to face up to anything.

Just once try to argue from your side. I know it's tough when you don't know what's going on but read up and you'll probably get the drift of things.

The internet is a wonderful tool . . . use it.

Ti-Guy said...

Just once try to argue from your side.

Why should I, you little bitch? Your last comment was confrontational and insulting, not to mention inaccurate, incomplete and unnuanced:

"Lastly, Liberals have blindly believed one individual because he said there was torture going on when several high ranking generals said otherwise. Yet when many scientists are questioning global warming you don't want to listen to them. Instead you want to go ahead and spend billions of dollars on the hearsay of a few "chosen" scientists."

If you don't want to be treated like a troll, stop acting like one.

Dante said...

Cognitive dissonance on your part. How embarrassing for you and your midget Ti-guy.

Ti-Guy said...

The dead really have arisen.

The CPC must have refinanced its Internet troll program in light of the rather damaging war crimes allegations.

Dante said...

You couldn't have forgotten that I'm not a conservative already, Ti-guy.

Did you give up sniffing bycicle seats for glue again?

Ti-Guy said...

Ah ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha...

...ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha...

...heh heh heh.

...hee hee...

...whoo boy.

*sniff*

Well played, Dante. Well played.

Unknown said...

"Yet when many scientists are questioning global warming you don't want to listen to them. "

Start naming them and their papers.

Frank said...

The BBC got the emails a month before they went on the Russian server. But the Beeb, for whatever reason, sat on them. Perhaps they thought they were a fraud, perhaps they wanted to 'hide the news'.

Why, now that the CRU leak has been in the news for two weeks, has the TorStar and the Globe not reported on it? Are they in denial?

BTW, Al Gore is reported to have cancelled his speech at Copenhopeless, and top US warmer Jim Hansen is calling it "a farce". Hansen likens cap 'n trade to "selling indulgences".

Frank said...

Update: The Globe has now made its first report, "University to probe whether scientists fudged global warming data".

Canada's leading newspaper? Thank God for the internet.

CanuckRover said...

Telling that most sceptics just completely ignore science and instead rely on criminally acquired e-mails that they don't actually understand. The only serious "sceptics" are people like Lomborg who, not being stupid, recognize climate change, but debate man's role and how to deal with it. We've moved on wingnuts. The polar ice cap will be gone in five years. The permafrost is thawing. This is happening in your own country, what the hell is wrong with you?

Holly Stick said...

"The BBC got the emails a month before they went on the Russian server. But the Beeb, for whatever reason, sat on them..."
So were the thieves hoping the BBC would do all the publicizing for them? There is a widespread obsession among the denialists with having the mainstream media report on the stolen emails. Even though Jim Prentice among others have pointed out that the emails do not affect the science.

sharonapple88 said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
sharonapple88 said...

Any scientist worth their weight NEVER gets rid of raw data in case results get skewed. Harmless or innocent?

Yes, the conspiracy started in the 1980s, which is when the data was dumped.... or maybe even before then, when people decided to use magnetic tape to store information. Magnetic tape doesn't have the longest lifespan (and even if they had kept them, they might not be able to be read). Obviously, the best method for storage or accessibility would have been stone tablets -- 2000 years. If they didn't want their results to be questioned, they should have gone Egyptian.

As for keeping raw data...what they did was compile information from other groups. Find out who the groups were and you've got your data back... unless they dumped their information as well. (Damn scientific community conspiracy.)

But the raw data in this situation isn't as important as the metholodogy -- what they did and why. Out of everything, this is probably the most accessible. Why not call out for that? It would tell you about as much as the raw data would about how they approach this problem.