The computer hack, said a member of the Inter-governmental Panel on Climate Change, was a highly sophisticated, politically motivated operation. The guiding hand behind the leaks, according to one allegation, was that of the Russian secret services.  

Much of Russia’s vast oil and gas reserves lie in difficult-to-access areas of the far North. One school of thought is that Russia, unlike most countries, would have little to fear from global warming, because these deposits would suddenly become much easier and cheaper to access.