Letters | 13 February 2010

Scientists must engage more

Sir: Arguments over nuclear energy, stolen emails from the University of East Anglia and allegations about flawed climate data have indeed split the green movement (‘The global warming guerrillas’, 6 February). But sceptics mustn’t get too excited. The revelations alter nothing. The centuries-old climate science behind the greenhouse effect of gases, such as carbon dioxide, is indisput-able. The world is still warming and humanity is still mostly to blame. ‘Climategate’ should not be seen as a lapse in climate science but a failure to implement the rigorous procedures that ensure only substantiated evidence is published. The IPCC must recover from its embarrassment, get a grip and re-double its efforts to show that the evidence for human-induced climate change is real and that globally co-ordinated action on mitigation and adaptation is urgent. This will require greater openness and a willingness on the part of scientists to engage with the public and the media.