IPCC secret documents on global warming

Although the IPCC's 21-page Climate Change 2007: The Physical Science Basis - Summary for Policymakers is accessible to the public, the working drafts of the four underlying technical reports are being kept secret from the public.

Here are the actual draft document links, but they are not accessible unless you have the proper security credentials:

1. WG-I: 10th/Doc.2b
   WG I contribution to AR4 - “Climate Change 2007: The Physical Science Basis”
   Draft Underlying Scientific-Technical Assessment
2. WG-II: The final draft of “Climate Change 2007: Impacts, Adaptation and Vulnerability.” "... must not be cited or quoted and you are further requested not to distribute the documents or the passwords for the closed website except for the purpose of your Organization's consideration of the final drafts."
3. WG-III: no sign of it yet.
4. The Synthesis Report: no sign of it yet.

Big question: What is so secret? What sort of dirty laundry might we find in those secret documents? Maybe the participants are worried that the underlying technical supports may not completely support the SPM (Summary for Policymakers).

Eventually the technical reports will be made public, but why not have a completely open process? I suspect that part of the reason is that the IPCC is essentially a group of government representatives working in concert. The "I" in IPCC stands for Intergovernmental. The IPCC is in no way comparable to a normal, open scientific conference.

BTW, the Climate Change 2001 IPCC Third Assessment Report is in fact completely available online.

-- Jack Krupansky