Memorandum submitted by John Wadsworth
(CRU 08)
I have spent the last 15 months or so researching
AGW, the driver being the passing of the Climate Change Act 2008.
I am not a climate scientist or hold any qualification
or have any experience that relates to the field; however I am
an engineer with the required understanding of the laws of physics.
The research, mostly web based, has given me
cause for concern with the arguments from both sides of the divide.
I have also found that both sides can become very emotive and
in some cases downright ignorant when their stance is challenged.
I was therefore extremely pleased and grateful
for your announcement to carry out a Select Committee investigation
into the emails leaked from EAU—CRU. At last an independent
inquiry into these deeply worrying issues.
The morning following the announcement of the
inquiry I read in the Daily
Telegraph: a statement attributed to you as the chair
of the Commons science and technology committee:
"There are a significant number of climate
change deniers who are basically using the UEA emails to support
the case this is poor science that has been changed or at worst
manipulated. We do not believe this is healthy and therefore we
want to call in the UEA so the public can see what they are saying"
I would be grateful if you would please confirm
that the statement attributed to you is correct?
You will, I have no doubt, understand my concerns
when I was looking forward to finally getting an independent review
of this matter.
I have always considered it to be healthy for
the chair of any committee to keep an open mind throughout the
whole of the proceedings.
Following the statement, you will not be surprised
to find that the "deniers" (not a word I would have
chosen) side of the divide have already written off the committees
proceedings as a whitewash and I have a great deal of difficulty
in countering their arguments.
January 2010
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