'Climategate' not to affect US climate change bill

A top US delegate at Copenhagen summit denied the possibility that hacked e-mails had made the case for sceptics stronger and said the incident would not affect the fate of climate change bill in the American Senate.

US Deputy Special Envoy for Climate Change Jonathan Pershing criticised media for blowing the controversy out of proportion and maligning scientists involved in this episode. "What I think is unfortunate and in fact shameful is the way in which some scientists who have devoted their lives for our being pilloried by the press without due regard," Pershing said.

"My sense about the e-mails that have been stolen is that they have released a barrage of additional information, which makes clear the robustness of science, the enormous multitude of different strands of evidence that also support the urgency and severity of the problem," he said.

With the US Senate expected to debate an energy bill, early next year, there is concern that US anti-bill politicians and lobbyists will use the hacked reports to block its passage.

Hackers gained access to data of climate research centre of UK-based East Anglia University and leaked confidential information including thousands of e-mails and documents between British and US scientists over past ten years that have led to accusations that scientists amplified the nature and scope of the manmade climate crisis.