Fact check
Is it true: Climategate: Scientists Fabricated Climate Data (2009)?
No — this has been debunked.
Five independent investigations (UK House of Commons, Muir Russell, Oxburgh, Penn State, NOAA Inspector General) all cleared the CRU scientists of data fabrication and misconduct. The phrases "hide the decline" and "Mike's Nature trick" had mundane professional meanings. Multiple independent global temperature datasets (NOAA, NASA GISS, Berkeley Earth, JMA) produce consistent results, and 17+ years of post-2009 observations confirm continued warming. Criticisms of insufficient data-sharing transparency were valid but do not support the fabrication claim.
The claim
In November 2009, thousands of emails from the University of East Anglia's Climatic Research Unit were leaked online. Critics seized on phrases like "hide the decline" and "Mike's Nature trick" as pro
Key evidence
CRU criticised for insufficient data sharing — a legitimate concern
Muir Russell Review clears scientists of misconduct
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