The country's leading climate researchers have endorsed the findings of an independent investigation into the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, the United Nations global warming body, which found that its scientific findings were sound but that its structures needed to change and become more transparent.
The UN panel will now undergo changes similar to those already under way in Australian science bodies, such as the CSIRO, to help build public trust and better explain climate change.
The IPCC was subjected to sustained attack based on claims that its most recent report overstated the rate of melting glaciers in the Himalayas.
Some scientists and researchers have also criticised it for understating some risks, and being too conservative in predicting the rate of global warming.
But a six-month investigation by the Inter-Academy Council, which represents 15 national science academies, including that of Australia, answered many of the key questions.
The head of the IPCC, Rajendra Pachauri, said he planned to shrug off criticism and remain in his role until the next global report is published in 2014.
''This is a mission that I cannot shirk and cannot walk away from,'' he told reporters.
Dr Pachauri has been criticised in the media for allegedly benefiting from work as a consultant to energy companies, but his accounts showed this was untrue and the allegations have since been withdrawn.
The report found the IPCC's reviewing process to be ''thorough'' but that its existing guidelines should be applied more rigorously in some cases.
Its editors should be given more power to cull uncertain information, like the Himalayan claim.
''Although a few such errors are likely to be missed … stronger enforcement of existing IPCC procedures by the review editors could minimise their numbers,'' the report said.
Much of the academy's report focused on ways to improve the IPCC's communication of climate change science, noting that subjective wording had led to some confusion. ''There are no press releases accompanying the assessment reports,'' it said.
The thousands of scientists who contribute to the IPCC reports have other jobs, and its leaders only meet occasionally. For this reason the investigation recommended setting up a small professional executive to respond to questions quickly.
''The committee found the IPCC assessment process has been successful overall,'' the report concluded.
''However, the world has changed considerably since the IPCC's creation.''
Professor Steven Sherwood, of the Climate Change Research Centre at the University of NSW, said the investigation found what he expected.
''One interesting thing is that the review did not find serious systemic problems, but did recommend some bolstering of the structure to meet greater pressures now bearing on the IPCC.
''Also, there were no criticisms of the content of the first volume of the IPCC report, which discusses the basic science of climate change.''
Professor David Karoly, of Melbourne University, a lead IPCC author, said he expected the recommendations would be adopted in time for the next global report in 2014.
Of the several crises that shook faith in climate science, only the mysterious theft of emails from East Anglia University remains unsolved.
British police are still investigating.
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