Schwarzenegger: "Last year we had a tremendous setback because some of the science and some of the numbers were manipulated and that is very damaging"

Head of UN climate body admits surprise at fury over blunder in report | Environment | guardian.co.uk

"Last year we had a tremendous setback because some of the science and some of the numbers were manipulated and that is very damaging because it gives the other side a way in," Schwarzenegger told his summit this week.

Pachauri too suffered damage to his reputation, and faced calls to give up his leadership of the IPCC. However, he won an apology from the Sunday Telegraph for a false report on his business connections.

He also shook off calls for his resignation, and said this week he would stand on as IPCC chief until his term ends in 2014. The science body would be extra vigilant to prevent a repeat of the blunder as it prepares the next report, he said. "We just have to make sure that to the extent humanly possible we don't commit any errors."

The IPCC was already working to restore confidence in its report by issuing new guidelines for how to express uncertainty in scientific reports.

But he said the existing IPCC procedures were already stringent enough to catch future mistakes. He also defended the use of reports by advocacy organisations and official agencies, especially in developing countries which may not have funding for scientific expeditions.