PARIS—The French Academy of Sciences finally produced a
statement after a full day of debate on climate change Monday that had been shrouded in secrecy.
The debate followed a rumpus triggered by former research minister Claude Allègre and a handful of other scientists, who have contested the causes of climate change. The debate was ordered by Education and Research Minister Valérie Pécresse in April, after more than
600 scientists signed a petition alleging "denigration" by Allègre in his book L'imposure climatique (The Climate Fraud) and asking her to disavow it.
The statement appears to be in response to an outburst at the weekend from the French daily Le Monde.
In a front-page editorial, the paper lambasted a total blackout on the debate, the identity of the participants and their submissions. "What is it (that the Academy is) afraid of," it asked. The secrecy "arouses suspicion."
According to the statement, participants in the debate concluded that links between solar radiation variations and the earth's orbit are not contested,
but that the jury is still out on the importance of the impact of solar activity cycles.