re: Climategate emails: Penn State is advancing an investigation into whether Michael Mann violated certain academic standards:

The recommended investigation will focus on determining if Mann “engaged in, directly or indirectly, any actions that seriously deviated from accepted practices within the academic community for proposing, conducting or reporting research or other scholarly activities.”

The profession has to do a better job of policing itself and not opening itself up to claims of coverups and other malfeasance, which allow peoples’ attention to move away from the fact that emissions are increasing and that they can have negative consequences.

Then again, the media and those quoted in stories can’t jump on the global warming bandwagon at every turn either - such as claiming that because there’s insufficient snow in Vancouver it’s a sign of global warming. That’s not any different than a report noting that parts of the NE US have seen several times their average snowfall thus far this season and saying that it’s just weather. Would help to be consistent.