It's a bit extreme to put them in jail. I too think their actions are deplorable, but jail? We didn't even put the criminals behind the financial collapse in jail, why put morally reprehensible scientists in jail? I'd say the financial criminals caused more problems than the climate team.
Correct me if I'm wrong, and I'm not a British citizen so my understanding of the nature of publicly funded work may be a bit different, but if they are colluding to change the results of a study paid for with public monies and destroy evidence requested by an official inquiry, isn't that sufficient cause for criminal charges? The coordinated aspect of their fraud -- exemplified in the leaked emails -- adds a damning, worrisome aspect to the whole affair.
On a sociological level, this is a very dangerous situation. The impact of human endeavor and pollution on global climate is almost impossible to judge on a local personal level, so the public must have faith in the scientists we elect to study this problem.
Criminal charges would send a strong, immediate signal to scientists in all areas of research: check your personal opinions at the door when processing data. We are all human but if we allow this kind of thing to creep into all areas of research we risk undermining the very scientific underpinnings of our modern secular approach to public policy and, ultimately, the governance of our natural resources.
Scientific research must remain balanced.
As an aside: the people behind the economic crisis are not in jail, but they should be. Just because they have so far escaped the reach of justice doesn't mean we should lower our standards for other blatant crimes just because they are of the white collar variety.
> if they are colluding to change the results of a study paid for with public monies
What study? Are you referring to the fact that at some point they drew a graph that updated data extrapolated from tree ring data with actual data from thermometers, and that that graph may or may not have actually been published? How long a jail term does that merit?
> destroy evidence requested by an official inquiry
What official inquiry? They talked about deleting emails they considered private. How long in jail for that?
> Criminal charges would send a strong, immediate signal to scientists in all areas of research
On our backward little island we don't yet throw people in jail on the basis of their academic research. I'm sure we'll get there soon.
