‘Climategate’ scientists cleared again

A six-month independent inquiry has cleared climate scientists accused of manipulating their data, but criticised them for being too secretive and defensive about their research.

The inquiry panel said it had not found any evidence to undermine the conclusions of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.

It is the third inquiry into the email affair, dubbed ‘Climategate’, and clears the head of the Climate Research Unit at the University of East Anglia and his colleagues of the most serious charges.