Politics Collides With The Scientific Method

A bunch of letters from Representative Joe Barton regarding the findings of a study on global warming have caused quite a stir in the scientific community. RealClimate cites the following concerned parties:

• A statement from the EGU
• The American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS)
• A Nature editorial
• A letter from US scientists (including leading members of the NAS, a Nobel Prize winner and two of us (ES, GS))
• A letter from the head of the National Academy of Sciences, and
• A commentary from Tom Crowley in EOS
• Other politicians, the House Committee on Science and Henry Waxman.

The three scientists have responsed as well. (Their responses and the letters sent to them are attached to this post.) Considering the open nature in which the majority of the scientific community works, the fact that all of their data and the computer program they ran are available as public domain and the fact that the studies have been replicated by other scientists leads me to believe that the next place to look is not at the personal financial records of the scientists, but rather the finances of Joe Barton.