The Royal Society, Britain’s top scientific organisation, is reviewing its position on climate change after receiving a complaint from 43 of its 1,361 fellows, according to the BBC News.

According to the BBC report, the fellows were angered by a policy document known as ‘Climate Change Controversies’, which seeks to “help non-experts better understand some of the debates in this complex area of science”. In their complaint to the society, the fellows say that the document is too dismissive of recent attacks on our current understanding of climate change.

Several of the fellows, who appear to be climate sceptics or ‘agnostics’, were willing to talk to BBC environment reporter Roger Harrabin, but interestingly, none of them were willing to comment on-the-record. I must say that I’m a little surprised by that. Fellows of the Royal Society are well-respected senior scientists. Presumably if they have an objection as important as this, they should be in a strong position to speak out publically about it.

Unfortunately, Harrabin and the BBC don’t follow the American convention of explaining their reasons for allowing anonymity, and so the story as a whole just kind of leaves me wondering: Were they really so worried about “blowback” from the broader scientific community that they were afraid put their name to their complaint? Was there another reason for them remaining nameless?

In any event, the concern has “given added impetus” to an ongoing review of the Royal Society’s climate change documents, according to a statement out today from the organisation. A new public document is being drawn up, but if the BBC report is right, then several sceptics are on the panel, which is making it tough to get anything done. Nevertheless, the society says the new guide will be released later this summer.

Image: Royal Society