Climategate academic Professor Phil Jones admits he 'lost track' of vital data

Professor Phil Jones, the academic at the centre of the “climategate” scandal, has admitted he had difficulty “keeping track” of vital data used to back up global warming claims.

The Telegraph, 15 February 2010

Prof Jones stepped down as director of the University of East Anglia’s climate change unit in December after leaked emails appeared to show academics were manipulating data to bolster claims that global warming is caused by humans.

Now the academic has admitted he may have lost track of some of the data used to produce the famous “hockey stick” graph, which uses climate readings from worldwide weather stations to show a sharp rise in global temperatures.

The Climate Research Unit formerly headed by Prof Jones is responsible for analysing data from hundreds of weather stations to produce "evidence" of global warming which is used by the UN's Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.

Prof Jones also admitted that his own lack of organisation had contributed to his reluctance to share crucial data with climate change sceptics, but denied that he deliberately distorted the evidence.

Asked whether he had lost track of data, Prof Jones said: “There is some truth in that. We do have a trail of where the weather stations have come from but it’s probably not as good as it should be.

read more