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Financial Times Calls for Independent Audit of UN IPCC
Financial Times Editorial Comment – Excerpt:
The amateurishness of the Himalayan claim makes it look more like a blunder than something sinister. But given the IPCC’s central role in climate science, it needs to be whiter than white. To restore confidence, it should commission an independent audit. This would look at all the claims in the 2007 report and remove any that were not soundly based. The auditor might also look at the IPCC’s decision to report only those findings that fall within a certain consensus. Is it really right to exclude scientifically rigorous but outlying opinions, especially when this hands ammunition to its critics, who accuse it of suppressing dissenting views? Lastly, the IPPC must be smarter in the way it engages with the wider world. Mr Pachauri’s handling of the allegations has been lamentable. Considerably more humility in the face of criticism is required.
The IPCC must learn from this gaffe. Not only is its own credibility at stake, but possibly the cause of climate science also.
FT.com: A Himalayan gaffe