Bureaucrats Censor Smithsonian Science Again?

The Washington Post reports today:

Some government scientists have complained that officials at the Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History took steps to downplay global warming in a 2006 exhibit on the Arctic to avoid a political backlash, according to documents obtained by The Washington Post.

The museum's director, Cristián Samper, ordered last-minute changes to the exhibit's script to add "scientific uncertainty" about climate change, according to internal documents and correspondence. ....

Scientists at other agencies collaborating on the project expressed in e-mails their belief that Smithsonian officials acted to avoid criticism from congressional appropriators and global-warming skeptics in the Bush administration. But Samper said in an interview last week that "there was no political pressure -- not from me, not from anyone."

Given the sad history of Bush administration appointees censoring scientific statements about environmental problems, I am tempted to suspect Dr. Samper is less than candid.

It is notable that this story is published as the UN's Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change is beginning its meeting in Spain to discuss its synthesis report summarizing years of work by thousands of scientists doing a grand meta-analysis of the huge body of work that has accumulated documenting anthropogenic climate change.

Nature magasine's blog, "The Great Beyond" reports:

"World experts have gathered in Valencia to produce a synthesis of all the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change reports released to date. Thus, there is a rash of climate change news.

The Valencia meeting’s report will, according to AFP, 'serve as a guide for policymakers for years to come'. Now traditional arguments between Europe, the US and other participants over the exact wordings are already underway (AP).

Even OPEC is getting in on the action. The group of oil producing nations said this week it would assist in cutting or capturing carbon emissions (Reuters). Some reports even say it is mulling over the creation of a $3 billion fund invest in emission capture technology (Times).

In Australia the former head of the country’s Commonwealth Scientific and Research Organization’s atmospheric research unit warned before the meeting that current policy is based on science that is already out of date (ABC). 'If you think climate change is on the agenda, just wait another couple of years,' he told the Sidney Morning Herald."