NOAA Scientist: Influential Climate Change Paper Was Flawed

A new report claims a paper that argued in favor of global warming was deliberately published close to the UN's climate conference in Paris and contained unverified and flawed data.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) published the influential paper in question ahead of the 2015 Paris meeting. A high-level whistleblower told The Daily Mail that paper was not subjected to NOAA's vetting and verification process.

The paper, which gained international media attention before the Paris summit, included a bit about a supposed "pause" in global warming since 1998. Former NOAA scientist Dr. John Bates told the Daily Mail that claim relied on flawed climate data.

Thomas Karl, the paper's lead author, directed the the National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI) until last year. Bates accused him of "insisting on decisions and scientific choices that maximized warming and minimized documentation … in an effort to discredit the notion of a global warming pause, rushed so that he could time publication to influence national and international deliberations on climate policy."

According to the Daily Mail, the 2015 paper known as "Pausebuster" used climate data from land and the oceans. That data, according to the report, contained flaws in the form of software bugs (land temperatures) and unreliable temperature taking methods (ocean temperatures). The outlet reports that the ocean data will have to be retaken, which will reportedly show lower temperatures and a slower warming pattern.

Former President Barack Obama made combating climate change one of his main efforts during his two-term presidency, but President Donald Trump is now trying to roll back some of Obama's actions. That has some scientists gearing up for a showdown with the White House.

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