A coalition of scientists is lambasting a government report that downplays the effects of global heating, saying it cherry-picks evidence, fails to be transparent, and lacks credibility.
What's happening?
The Trump administration released a report titled "A Critical Review of Impacts of Greenhouse Gas Emissions on the U.S. Climate" in July. However, as reported by the Guardian, a group of leading climate scientists say the review — authored by five climate contrarians "well-known for manufacturing uncertainty" — was anything but fair.
They say the report doesn't provide a comprehensive picture of all the evidence and seems to run afoul of a 1972 law that requires executive advisory committees to include balanced perspectives. The document also didn't undergo the peer-review process before being released.
"This report makes a mockery of science," Texas A&M climate scientist Andrew Dessler said, per the Guardian. "It relies on ideas that were rejected long ago, supported by misrepresentations of the body of scientific knowledge, omissions of important facts, arm waving, anecdotes, and confirmation bias."
"We should be using scientifically vetted and properly reviewed assessments to make legal decisions — not unreviewed documents that present a distorted view of our scientific knowledge," added Abigail Swann, a professor of atmospheric sciences and ecology at the University of Washington.
Why is this important?
Critics say the latest report is a clear example of politics overshadowing the scientific process — and carrying on as usual could lead to disastrous consequences for future generations, as well as result in dirtier, less healthy communities in the near term.
As Cornell University noted, a survey of more than 88,100 peer-reviewed climate-related studies overwhelmingly indicates at a rate of 99.9% that human activities are the primary reason why the Earth is warming at an unsustainable pace, supercharging extreme weather, as well as contributing to disease spread, displacement, and food shortages, among other things.
The world's reliance on dirty fuels is the primary culprit, per NASA. However, the Trump administration has made clear its commitment to the fossil fuel industry — which initially funded climate research and discovered its sector's negative impact decades ago before it pivoted to spread climate disinformation to maximize profits, according to unearthed documents.
While a transition to cleaner energy infrastructure needs to be done mindfully to achieve energy independence and security (goals shared across political lines), the administration's renewed commitment to dirty fuels comes as it disincentivized many green energy projects that created jobs, lowered utility bills, and helped the country become less dependent on coal, oil, and gas.
What is being done about this?
University of California, Berkeley, environmental scientist Lucas Vargas Zeppetello told the Guardian that the report was "a total disgrace" and indicated he would be among the scientists working to correct the record during the window for public comment, which closed Sept. 2.
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