Bishop Hill Climategate 3.0
Mar 13, 2013 Climate: CRU This message from FOIA was forwarded to me.
It's time to tie up loose ends and dispel some of the speculation surrounding the Climategate affair.
Indeed, it's singular "I" this time. After certain career developments I can no longer use the papal plural ;-)
If this email seems slightly disjointed it's probably my linguistic background and the problem of trying to address both the wider audience (I expect this will be partially reproduced sooner or later) and the email recipients (whom I haven't decided yet on).
The "all.7z" password is [redacted]
DO NOT PUBLISH THE PASSWORD. Quote other parts if you like.
Releasing the encrypted archive was a mere practicality. I didn't want to keep the emails lying around.
I prepared CG1 & 2 alone. Even skimming through all 220.000 emails would have taken several more months of work in an increasingly unfavorable environment.
Dumping them all into the public domain would be the last resort. Majority of the emails are irrelevant, some of them probably sensitive and socially damaging.
To get the remaining scientifically (or otherwise) relevant emails out, I ask you to pass this on to any motivated and responsible individuals who could volunteer some time to sift through the material for eventual release.
Filtering\redacting personally sensitive emails doesn't require special expertise.
I'm not entirely comfortable sending the password around unsolicited, but haven't got better ideas at the moment. If you feel this makes you seemingly "complicit" in a way you don't like, don't take action.
I don't expect these remaining emails to hold big surprises. Yet it's possible that the most important pieces are among them. Nobody on the planet has held the archive in plaintext since CG2.
That's right; no conspiracy, no paid hackers, no Big Oil. The Republicans didn't plot this. USA politics is alien to me, neither am I from the UK. There is life outside the Anglo-American sphere.
If someone is still wondering why anyone would take these risks, or sees only a breach of privacy here, a few words...
The first glimpses I got behind the scenes did little to garner my trust in the state of climate science -- on the contrary. I found myself in front of a choice that just might have a global impact.
Briefly put, when I had to balance the interests of my own safety, privacy\career of a few scientists, and the well-being of billions of people living in the coming several decades, the first two weren't the decisive concern.
It was me or nobody, now or never. Combination of several rather improbable prerequisites just wouldn't occur again for anyone else in the foreseeable future. The circus was about to arrive in Copenhagen. Later on it could be too late.
Most would agree that climate science has already directed where humanity puts its capability, innovation, mental and material "might". The scale will grow ever grander in the coming decades if things go according to script. We're dealing with $trillions and potentially drastic influence on practically everyone.
Wealth of the surrounding society tends to draw the major brushstrokes of a newborn's future life. It makes a huge difference whether humanity uses its assets to achieve progress, or whether it strives to stop and reverse it, essentially sacrificing the less fortunate to the climate gods.
We can't pour trillions in this massive hole-digging-and-filling-up endeavor and pretend it's not away from something and someone else.
If the economy of a region, a country, a city, etc. deteriorates, what happens among the poorest? Does that usually improve their prospects? No, they will take the hardest hit. No amount of magical climate thinking can turn this one upside-down.
It's easy for many of us in the western world to accept a tiny green inconvenience and then wallow in that righteous feeling, surrounded by our "clean" technology and energy that is only slightly more expensive if adequately subsidized.
Those millions and billions already struggling with malnutrition, sickness, violence, illiteracy, etc. don't have that luxury. The price of "climate protection" with its cumulative and collateral effects is bound to destroy and debilitate in great numbers, for decades and generations.
Conversely, a "game-changer" could have a beneficial effect encompassing a similar scope.
If I had a chance to accomplish even a fraction of that, I'd have to try. I couldn't morally afford inaction. Even if I risked everything, would never get personal compensation, and could probably never talk about it with anyone.
I took what I deemed the most defensible course of action, and would do it again (although with slight alterations -- trying to publish something truthful on RealClimate was clearly too grandiose of a plan ;-).
Even if I have it all wrong and these scientists had some good reason to mislead us (instead of making a strong case with real data) I think disseminating the truth is still the safest bet by far.
Big thanks to Steve and Anthony and many others. My contribution would never have happened without your work (whether or not you agree with the views stated).
Oh, one more thing. I was surprised to learn from a "progressive" blog, corroborated by a renowned "scientist", that the releases were part of a coordinated campaign receiving vast amounts of secret funding from shady energy industry groups.
I wasn't aware of the arrangement but warmly welcome their decision to support my project. For that end I opened a bitcoin address: 1HHQ36qbsgGZWLPmiUjYHxQUPJ6EQXVJFS.
More seriously speaking, I accept, with gratitude, modest donations to support The (other) Cause. The address can also serve as a digital signature to ward off those identity thefts which are part of climate scientists' repertoire of tricks these days.
Keep on the good work. I won't be able to use this email address for long so if you reply, I can't guarantee reading or answering. I will several batches, to anyone I can think of.
Over and out.
Mr. FOIA
Reader Comments (216)
Back to the backslash - I have a keyboard designed more for francophones, (I work in Montreal) ,and the backslash is on the # key - I have to press the AltGr key to get it. Could FOIA be French, (or francophone).
Over on Monbiot's latest article in the Guardian Environment section I thought it would be helpful to tip off the Guardian as to this development. Having, of course, first politely commented on his article.
Comment after comment of people declaring a complete lack of interest in these emails.
If you believe in the AGW apocalypse you should be interested in the thought processes of the leading scientists who are researching the end of the world.
If you are sceptical you should be interested in the thought processes of the leading scientists who think they are researching the end of the world.
Only if you are completely apoathetic should you be disinterested. And then, why comment?
Lew could have a field day with the psychology displayed over there.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/georgemonbiot/2013/mar/14/japan-gas-climate-change
Yes, Connolley's comment is remarkable for its stupidity. He's claiming that Climategate 3 is over before any emails have been made public. Pipe-dreaming.
There may be nothing dramatic in the remaining emails but it's a good bet there will be a lot buttressing of what we already know.
All the other warmist blogs, Romm, Appell, Eli Rabett, Tamino, RealClimate, SkepticalScience, and DeSmogblog, are marching in silent lockstep.
It's another climate miracle. 220k emails behind a password but Stoat knows already what's therein!
omnologos
It's another climate miracle. 220k emails behind a password but Stoat knows already what's therein!
Nipped over to have a look. He hasn't changed.
Speaking of what lies therein. I get the impression that, while FOIA has more idea than most, even (s)he hasn't made made much of a dent in the 220K. Who knows what is in there?
Shame that FOIA must remain anonymous - so many questions.
We have a situation where good people are held hostage to very bad ideas, and I for one think we should honor the goodness in man and let actions be questions for the law. Where everyone else is let free. Manipulation can happen to us all.
Good onya mate.
Nice catch, omnologus. "Nothing to see here, move on" - true, but as usual, misleading. There is a freight train heading for "poor sweet Sue" who is tied to the railroad tracks, it just hasn't arrived yet.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tu7ciTd8V80
Over at WUWT, Anthony has to put up with a lot of paranoid people. The relevant thread is peppered with people who think that the dozen or so people who have access to the password will edit the material in some sinister way. Others say that collateral damage to friends, family, colleagues etc if the whole lot is made public doesn't matter because CAGW proponents are bad people and should be exposed no matter what the cost.
Thankfully, the discussion here is more measured and sensible.
There is a freight train heading for "poor sweet Sue" who is tied to the railroad tracks, it just hasn't arrived yet.
Mar 15, 2013 at 1:17 AM johanna
Er, let's have the Coasters, please, complete with King Curtis on tenor sax. Not some low grade carbon copy.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MrGaoSB0Eus
Over at WUWT, Anthony has to put up with a lot of paranoid people.
There are lots of mad people in the USA - I lived there for a while and met some of them at first hand.
- - - - - - - -
johanna,
This wonderful venue of Andrew's (Montford) is one of my top 5 favorites. So is Anthony's.
Yes indeed the related CG3 discussion at Anthony's place is quite exuberant and prolific; which is an understatement. A very good thing.
The two venues do not have the same style and surely Andrew and Anthony have different leadership characteristics and principles. No problema.
John
So, Mr FOIA. Do we need to try and establish verbal and written standards for this man's name?
Spoken : Mister Foe-ee-ah ?
Written : Mr FOIA? Mr Foia (looks neater) ?
(Any chance it's actually Mrs Foia)?
And how about a first and/or nickname ?
( To say nothing of a bronze statue. Somewhere in the UEA grounds, ideally ).
Not American or British, but has good (native grade) English (and a linguistic background).
Australian, South African, Canadian ?
After exhaustive study of all of Mr. FOIA's known public utterances and behaviors, I have developed incontrovertible linguistic and intellectual proof of his true identity.
It is indeed a 'he' and non-Anglo non-American. He has long paid close attention to climate and world affairs, and decided to save the western world from its own follies. Many might wonder how he could be motivated in this way when he might prefer to see all the economies of the west crash-and-burn, but he is a gregarious, kind-hearted soul who wants only the best for all of us:
[Bish, please don't object, he secretly longs for this exposure]
Mr. FOIA Revealed!
Andrew, no need to release the password into the public domain. Just place ALL the emails into a MYSQL database and link it to an online search, the way the earlier climategate emails were–the search code automatically redacts the email headers/footers, email addresses and phone numbers, leaving just the body of the email messages, which is where the pertinent info will be. A few bloggers won’t be able to read 200,000+ emails–if it takes 5 minutes to read an email, 5 x 200,000 = approx. 16,666 hours = 694 days to read all the emails. This is something that needs to be crowd-sourced.
OMG, some of the posters at WUWT act like there is some email being withheld that only they can find that has Phil Jones putting a hit out on McIntyre or something.
Can someone tell me what the hell happened here?
From all that I have read about this and the US elected and appointed officials involved over the last 12 years is looks and sounds more like a giant Pyramid Ponzi Scheme and the people at the top are still lining their pockets or off shore accounts. It will do little or nothing to help poor third world countries as their problems' has more to do with the government or dictators running them. It will have a major impact on the lives of anyone living in the so called western world and potting them in a state of poverty on top of other things that are being done at the same time.