The United Nations panel on climate change is to investigate claims scientists at the University of East Anglia manipulated data on global warming to undermine climate change sceptics.
The allegations emerged after thousands of emails between members of the prestigious Climatic Research Unit and other scientists were stolen and posted on the internet last month.
One of the leaked emails suggested that Dr Phil Jones, the director of the unit, wanted certain papers excluded from the UN's next major review of climate science.
Jones, who stepped down on Tuesday pending the results of an internal review, denies the allegations and insists the emails have been taken out of context.
Dr Rajendra Pachauri, the chairman of the UN's Intergovernmental Panel of Climate Change, told the BBC that the claims were serious and he wants them investigated.
"We will certainly go into the whole lot and then we will take a position on it," he said.
"We certainly don't want to brush anything under the carpet. This is a serious issue and we will look into it in detail."
The dispute comes just days ahead of the UN climate change summit in Copenhagen, which will take place from the 7-18 December.
On Thursday the Climate Change Secretary Ed Miliband attacked those who denied the existence of man-made climate change as irresponsible and dangerous.
"We have to beware of the climate saboteurs, the people who want to say this is somehow in doubt, and want to cast aspersions on the whole process," he said.
