A UW Connection to Climategate?

A brewing controversy surrounding efforts within the environmental science community to manipulate data and intimidate skeptics includes ties to the University of Wisconsin, the MacIver Institute has learned.

MacIver has discovered that several UW researchers were included in group email conversations that discussed masking data, incorporating false trends into climate research, and blocking efforts to correct that.  Equally alarming, we found that UW grad Pat Michaels, a prominent skeptic of the theory of man-made global warming in the School of Public Policy at George Mason University who is also senior fellow at the Cato Institute, was the target of a campaign of intimidation because of his views.

“At best UW employees appear to have been privy to efforts to mask or manipulate data,” said MacIver Institute President Brett Healy. “Our investigative reporter is in the process of filing open records requests to determine the extent of Wisconsin taxpayer-paid individuals’ participation in such efforts. Furthermore, we’re looking into whether efforts to undermine Dr. Michaels’ University Doctorate escalated into anything more than petty sniping and speculation.”

Communications between Ben Santer, a climate scientist at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, and Rick Piltz, founder of Climate Science Watch and from Tom Wigley of the University Corporation for Atmospheric Research include speculation of ways in which the University of Wisconsin could reexamine Dr. Michaels’ thesis, for which he received his Doctorate from the UW in 1979.

MacIver’s investigative reporter, Bill Osmulski, has been analyzing emails from the University of East Anglia in Norwich, England, which were recently made public and have been the subject of international scrutiny. Osmulski is in the process of officially requesting additional documents from the University of Wisconsin, specifically correspondence from individuals who were included in those emails as well as any communications regarding Dr. Michaels’ thesis and Doctorate.

The MacIver Institute will continue to follow this story in the days ahead.