Oh man , that ' s my hometown ! <| sep |> On the other hand , there ' s something rather wrong with global ice coverage this year . Take a look at that data . What ice , exactly , is at a record high ? Certainly not enough to be significant in a global picture . Yes , there was an email conversation about covering up a study . That study sought to explain why 1998 was the hottest year and why it hadn ' t been exceeded in 15 years . The reaction was that 1998 was anomalous and that the general trends were quite convincing . Releasing the study was thought to have been damaging because it would be misinterpreted as ' proof ' that climate change wasn ' t happening , and distract from the overall trends . It was feared that it would be used to come to false conclusions . It ' s unfortunate those conversations reached the mainstream , because the damage they did is far greater than any misconceptions would have been . Moreover , each of the multiple committees that looked into the allegations of scientific misconduct that arose after the leak didn ' t find any . There were eight , by the way . With different interests , methods , and questions . This scandal is ultimately contrived so as to discredit data that is concrete , and it ' s really time to say that ' s over with , so let ' s look at the body of what ' s happened before and since . Ultimately , that scandal is irrelevant for another reason 2016 will be the hottest year on record . There is a world of climatic research done correctly , as well . The actions of a few scientists by no means discredit the host of science that has been done correctly , vetted , and tested . Look , being direct . I used to be decently skeptical myself as a scientist . I did my own research and got a degree in this and have studied it extensively . I know my shit and I ' m happy to talk about it . I wrote a longwinded comment talking about how we know climate change is anthropogenic . It disproves the last bit of what you wrote , and I think it ' s important to say it that way . Climate warms and cools in response to forcings . It ' s not magic .