Bishop Hill Channel Four on Boulton's CV
Feb 27, 2010 Climate: CRU Climate: Russell Media Nick Scott-Plummer updates the story of Geoffrey Boulton's CV over at the Channel Four website. You may remember that Steve McIntyre found a copy of the CV from 2007 that referred to Boulton being on the IPCC. Boulton has now sent a contemporaneous copy of his CV to Channel Four, pointing out that this version doesn't include the line about the IPCC. Nick continues:
Asked whether he was implying dirty tricks we received another email: "Professor Boulton has no CV with that line on it, because there is no reason for it", adding: "people are free to draw their own conclusions as to why it seems to have appeared now".
There's also some pertinent comments about how the blogs are making the running on these stories, digging up small details in a very short space of time. And in fact, commenter Turning Tide, has already pointed out that the last edit date for the new version of Boulton's CV is actually July 2008, so this is perhaps not the vindication that was originally thought.
Reader Comments (58)
One correction to my post above - (yes I know there are also some typos, you can figure them out though) - my justification for hypothesis A is point 7, not point 6
@Copner
I agree with much of what you say but I think you're wrong about the one from Channel 4 being a genuine version of his 2007 CV.
That version was not created until 3rd July 2008 and has many references to funding and papers that did not exist in 2007.
What I think Boulton has done is take his 2007 CV (with or without the IPCC line) and then copy/pasted much of the content into a new document in July 2008, adding newer information at the same time. This effectively makes the CV a 2008 version. For Boulton to claim that it is his 2007 one is misleading. Some of the content is from his 2007 CV but that's it.
We have no way of knowing if the IPCC line was added by Nini Yang or not. It could have been in Boulton's 2007 CV which he then chose not to copy to the 2008 version.
> That version was not created until 3rd July 2008 and has many references to funding and papers that did not exist in 2007.
I think that's a hypothesis to test, rather than a fact.
Can you find anything in the Boulton CV that definitely did not exist in 2007. I was under the impression that there are references to papers that were unpublished in 2007, but that Boulton probably knew in 2007 would be published in future, probably 2008..
And even if Boulton sent a 2008 version of his CV to Channel 4, it still doesn't prove back-dating, participation in the IPCC, or hiding participation in the IPCC.
This site: http://www.publicpolicynetwork.ed.ac.uk/environment/boulton.html lists one of Geoffrey Boulton's publications as follows:
Global Natural Hazards, member of author group, report to PM & G8 advocating global hazards, accepted by Heads of Govts, implementation being studied. (2005)
Note the G8 connection, which ties in with that mysterious "addition" to his cv.
There's another G8 connection here:
http://www.dius.gov.uk/science/science_and_society/public_engagement/ethical_code/background
Boulton was part of a group that convened to "consider the issues around developing a universal ethical code of conduct for scientists".
I think it is clear to any reasonable person that the “Panels” quote existed on a Boulton CV at a time before February 11, when the Russell Panel was announced.
You could go against Occams Razor and claim some extraordinary manipulations – and knowing the recent David King example of conspiracy theorizing this is still likely, but, if you accept the word document meta data and the Google cache dating, and also that only 2 edits were made - Boulton the creator and Yang the last editor - and since Boulton categorically says he has never included Intergovernmental Panels on his CV. Then you could only conclude that his UoE colleague Yang has added this – possibly with other modifications – I notice there is no “Track Changes” information on the word doc which is a shame since it has proven useful before, Scottish Labour chief Wendy Alexander was caught out by that feature ;)
@Copner
The document properties for the Channel 4 CV show that it was created on 3rd July 2008.
The funding for point 5c was not approved until 1st April 2008.
http://www.antarctica.ac.uk/afi/awards_round9.php#923
There are other indications that point to the CV being later than 2007 but it's not easy to pinpoint the actual dates involved.
Just to reiterate my earlier comments .. something caused the Gulf News in Dubai to say Prof Boulton was working with the IPCC in 2008 --
"Its densely populated cities lie on the seashore, meaning they could drown if sea levels climb high enough on the back of global warming, pointed out Professor Geoffrey Boulton, a British geologist with the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)."
It looks like the Gulf News is certain Prof Boulton has/had IPCC involvement: http://gulfnews.com/news/gulf/uae/general/uae-warning-climate-change-effects-1.449068
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