the climatic research unit email controversy Communication ( also known as `` climategate '' ) began Process_start in november 2009 with the hacking Committing_crime of a server at the climatic research Research unit ( cru ) at the university of east anglia ( uea ) by an external attacker , copying Writing thousands of emails and computer files , the climatic research Research unit documents , to various internet locations several weeks before the copenhagen summit Social_event on climate change Change .