Leaked climate emails 'hacked by spies'
Updated on 01 February 2010
Hundreds of emails, leaked from a climate unit at the University of East Anglia last year, were probably hacked by a foreign intelligence agency, chief scientist Sir David King warns.
The hacking operation, which leaked selective emails going back 13 years from the Climatic Research Unit in East Anglia, bore the hallmarks of a sophisticated intelligence operation, according to the government's former chief scientist.
Sir David King said the timing of the leak, which saw the emails published just before the Copenhagen climate summit, was a particular indicator that a foreign intelligence agency could be involved.
The leaked emails emerged last year appearing to show that scientists attempted to hide data that went against the consensus that climate change is man-made.
The "climategate" row escalated last week when the information commissioner said the university broke the law when its scientists refused to hand over data, requested under the Freedom of Information Act.
In an interview with the Independent newspaper Sir David, who served as Tony Blair's chief advisor for seven years, suggested that the email leak was a deliberate attempt to de-rail talks at December's global conference.
The scientist dismissed the idea that it was run-of-the-mill hacking saying that is was carried out by at a skilled team either on behalf of a foreign government or anti-climate change lobbyists in the US.
"A very clever nerd can cause a great deal of disruption and obviously make intelligence services very nervous, but a sophisticated intelligence operation is capable of yielding the sort of results we've seen here," Sir David said.
"Quite simply, it's the sophistication of the operation. I know there's a possibility that they had a very good hacker working for these people, but it was an extraordinarily sophisticated operation.
"There are several bodies of people who could do this sort of work. These are national intelligence agencies and it seems to me that it was the work of such a group of people.
"I don't think that it's a coincidence that the stealing of the emails from the individuals involved in East Anglia was put out for publication one month before Copenhagen. That wasn't a coincidence.
"The emails date back to 1996, so someone was collecting the data over many years. It looks like possibly the work of an intelligence service. What it was, was a very well coordinated part of a campaign. It was a difficult piece of work to get that done.
"I've no inside knowledge except for the fact that I did work with our [intelligence] agencies, and the American agencies, that I have some experience," he added.
Norfolk police are investigating the hacking but said yesterday it would not comment on speculation that a foreign intelligence agency was involved.
Controversy warning
The Environment Secretary Ed Miliband warned yesterday that controversy surrounding climate change should not undermine decades of research.
He said it would be "devastating" for future generations if the world didn't continue efforts to cut carbon emissions and curb any rises in temperature.
It follows controversies such as "climategate" and last month's disclosure that the United Nations intergovernmental panel on climate change (IPCC) had exaggerated claims about the melting of Himalayan glaciers.
Mr Miliband conceded the claims had been damaging and the IPCC had to reform some of its procedures in collecting data but they did not undermine the decades of climate research and the "overwhelming" majority of scientists agreed.
Mr Miliband said: "It is important that not just politicians but scientists come out and put this in context.
"Yes it was bad a mistake that was made, yes the IPCC needs to reform its procedures so these kind of mistakes don't happen again.
"But the truth is it doesn't undermine decades of climate research and the overwhelming majority of scientists say that."
