The American Journal of Agricultural Economics has published a paper offering a defense for the manipulation of data in order to influence nations to adopt climate change measures. This wouldn’t be necessary of the data didn’t already show there’s been no warming in nearly two decades. The data itself is enough of a reason to be skeptical of the claims of climate activists. But when you have credentialed university professors making the case that the ends justify the means with such tactics, it’s difficult to believe the science is settled.
Below is the complete abstract from the paper titled, Information Manipulation and Climate Agreements:
It appears that news media and some pro-environmental organizations have the tendency to accentuate or even exaggerate the damage caused by climate change. This article provides a rationale for this tendency by using a modified International Environmental Agreement (IEA) model with asymmetric information. We find that the information manipulation has an instrumental value, as it ex post induces more countries to participate in an IEA, which will eventually enhance global welfare. From the ex ante perspective, however, the impact that manipulating information has on the level of participation in an IEA and on welfare is ambiguous.
If the science is settled, manipulation and exaggeration. One could simply present the actual data…unless the actual data doesn’t support your claims, that is.
Sifting Reality 
The ends that justify the means is the continuing progress towards socialism
I always remind myself of the first Earth Day when I was in high school that these same guys where predicting global cooling. Still waiting for the glaciers!
Gary,
Your memories of the 1970’s reminds of that famous false prophet of the New Testament, namely Jesus, who predicted that the world would end during the lifetime of those who listened to him speak, whose predictions of the end of the world have suffered a state of perpetual failure for over 2000 years, and whose lies continue to afflict the uneducated and insane Christians who happen to believe such ignorant liars such as John Hagee (see “Four Blood Moons” at your local Wal-Mart) and his predecessors such as Hal Lindsey of the 1970’s (see “The Late Great Planet Earth” at your local flea market).
Of course, the Bible is filled with thousands of failed prophecies, so in making a false prediction Jesus was only following the example of his own predecessors in guessing the future and attributing their blind guesses to god.
After such a record of failure it is really astonishing that anyone continues to believe in god …