An independent British investigation into the "Climategate" scandal has cleared the scientists behind the controversial emails, says Bryan Walsh at Time. Muir Russell, a senior British civil servant who lead the inquiry, concluded that the researchers involved "could have been more open" with global warming skeptics, but there was "no evidence of fraud" — which is to say, the scientists didn't manipulate the data showing that the planet really is warming. In a perfect world, that would put the matter to rest. But don't expect the skeptics to "lay down their arms," because this controversy is more about politics than it is about science. Here, an excerpt:
"Our positions [on global warming] seem set, and have as much to do with emotion and ideology as anything else. It's inescapable that nearly all the plans to reduce carbon emissions involve either a new tax or stronger government regulations of the private industry through a carbon cap and efficiency standards — so it's not exactly surprising that Republicans would be more skeptical of climate change, and Democrats more accepting. ...
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