Environmental analysis news: 'Honesty needed in climate change debate'

One of the British government's top scientific advisers has called for a greater level of honesty in the debate surrounding climate change.

Speaking to The Times, Professor John Beddington said that scepticism over the man-made effects of climate change should not be dismissed and urged researchers to disclose their data.

"Science grows and improves in the light of criticism. There is a fundamental uncertainty about climate change prediction that can't be changed," he stated.

Earlier this month, a UN body admitted that it had made a mistake with its prediction that the Himalayan glaciers could disappear by 2035.

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) revealed its error, which appeared in a 3000-page long report published in 2007.

Professor Beddington commented that the IPCC's mistake raises questions over the way in which some information is presented.

He also informed the publication that he believes all data and source material should be made available to the wider scientific community because this would reduce the likelihood of the information being manipulated.

Posted by Joseph Hutton