Today, key members of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (the organization providing the scientific foundation for these climate talks) offered a panel presentation today in which they gave an overflowing room an update on their scientific research and a preview of what to expect in the hotly anticipated 5th Assessment Report (forthcoming 2013) as well as a few interim special reports (forthcoming 2010 and 2011).  Before diving into the new studies and preliminary results, however, the panelists responded to media inquiries by soundly rejecting the notion that a few hacked emails had any relevance concerning the overwhelming evidence of climate change trends and impacts.  They offered the following as just a few examples of how robust the IPCC process is and why they are so confident in the data and conclusions presented in their 4th Assessment Report (2007).  Continue reading →