Did NASA's Hansen cook the numbers on warming?
James Hansen, of NASA's Goddard Institute for Space Studies, has been a major critic of the Bush administration's response to global warming. Hansen has repeatedly claimed that he's being silenced for his outspoken views on the subject. Given that he's not an official spokesman for the government on climate change, it's not surprising that his public assertions that climate change is man-made and heading towards a point of no return would be viewed by the administration as unacceptable freelancing, not to mention scientifically dubious.
Now comes evidence that Hansen was, to be charitable, relying on data that was incorrect at best:
Last week's revelation by Climate Audit's Steve McIntyre of a serious mistake and subsequent changes made by NASA's Goddard Institute for Space Studies in the temperature history of America has created quite a debate in the new media.
While conservative bloggers were quick to point out the hypocrisy regarding the lack of an official announcement from GISS chief James Hansen as well as the possible significance to the entire global warming debate, alarmists such as RealClimate and TNR's The Plank viewed McIntyre's discovery and GISS's alterations less than earth shattering.
Is anyone at all surprised that Hansen has failed to make the same amount of noise about the errors by GISS, given that they tend to undermine his alarmist views? Or that the media has largely ignored the story? No one should be...it's just more evidence that climate change isn't about science, and making sure we have the best evidence. It's about politics, and burying any story that doesn't serve the preordained end.
Much more here.
How Important Was NASA’s Change to Historical Climate Data Last Week? | NewsBusters.org