Scientists decry Trump energy chief's plan for climate reports
The US energy secretary, Chris Wright, is facing growing criticism from scientists who say their 'worst fears' were realized when Wright revealed that the Trump administration would 'update' the US's premier climate crisis reports.
Wright, a former oil and gas executive, told CNN's Kaitlin Collins earlier this week that the administration was reviewing national climate assessment reports published by past governments.
Produced by scientists and peer-reviewed, there have been five national climate assessment (NCA) reports since 2000, and they are considered the gold standard report of global heating and its impacts on human health, agriculture, water supplies and air pollution.
'We're reviewing them, and we will come out with updated reports on those and with comments on those reports,' said Wright, who is one of the main supporters of the administration's 'drill, baby, drill' agenda to boost fossil fuels, which are the primary cause of the climate crisis.
Wright was speaking days after his agency, the Department of Energy, produced a report claiming concern over the climate crisis was overblown. That energy department report was slammed by scientists for being a 'farce' full of misinformation.
Speaking to CNN this week about the national climate assessment reports, Wright claimed they 'weren't fair in broad-based assessments of climate change'. He added: 'When you get into departments and look at stuff that's there and you find stuff that's objectionable, you want to fix it,' he said.
The US energy secretary, Chris Wright, said the administration will be producing updated reports 'with comments' just days after the Department of Energy published a report saying concern over the climate crisis is overblown.
In recent weeks the Trump administration deleted the website that hosted the periodic, legally mandated, national climate assessments (the most recent report is hosted on the Guardian website and can be read in full here).
Asked about Wright's comments on the national climate assessment reports, respected climate scientist Michael Mann said in an emailed comment to the Guardian: 'This is exactly what Joseph Stalin did.'
In a statement on Thursday, Dr Rachel Cleetus, policy director at the Union of Concerned Scientists, and one of the authors of the sixth NCA report due in 2028 that the administration dismissed earlier this year, said she was dismayed by Wright's comments.
'Secretary Wright just confirmed our worst fears – that this administration plans to not just bury the scientific evidence but replace it with outright lies to downplay the worsening climate crisis and evade responsibility for addressing it.
'The process for developing the congressionally mandated National Climate Assessment reports is rigorous, with federal agencies and hundreds of scientists constructing this solid scientific foundation that decision makers, businesses and the public rely on to stay safe in a world made more perilous each day by climate change.
'People across the country are already reeling from climate-fueled worsening heatwaves, floods, wildfires and storms. Lying about that reality doesn't change it; it just leaves people in harm's way. We urge Congress to intervene to safeguard the integrity of the NCA reports so they remain vital, lifesaving tools in the fight against climate change.'
The NCA reports are published by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (Noaa) and a Department of Energy spokesperson told CNN that Wright was 'not suggesting he personally would be altering past reports'.
In May, the American Meteorological Society and the American Geophysical Union said they would join forces to produce peer-reviewed research on the climate crisis's impact after the NCA contributors for the 2028 publication were dismissed.
The energy department's climate report last week was published on the same day the Environmental Protection Agency announced a proposal to undo the 2009 'endangerment finding', which allows the agency to limit planet-heating pollution from cars and trucks, power plants and other industrial sources.
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National Observer
2 days ago
- National Observer
Scientists decry Trump energy chief's plan for climate reports
This story was originally published by The Guardian and appears here as part of the Climate Desk collaboration The US energy secretary, Chris Wright, is facing growing criticism from scientists who say their 'worst fears' were realized when Wright revealed that the Trump administration would 'update' the US's premier climate crisis reports. Wright, a former oil and gas executive, told CNN's Kaitlin Collins earlier this week that the administration was reviewing national climate assessment reports published by past governments. Produced by scientists and peer-reviewed, there have been five national climate assessment (NCA) reports since 2000, and they are considered the gold standard report of global heating and its impacts on human health, agriculture, water supplies and air pollution. 'We're reviewing them, and we will come out with updated reports on those and with comments on those reports,' said Wright, who is one of the main supporters of the administration's 'drill, baby, drill' agenda to boost fossil fuels, which are the primary cause of the climate crisis. Wright was speaking days after his agency, the Department of Energy, produced a report claiming concern over the climate crisis was overblown. That energy department report was slammed by scientists for being a 'farce' full of misinformation. Speaking to CNN this week about the national climate assessment reports, Wright claimed they 'weren't fair in broad-based assessments of climate change'. He added: 'When you get into departments and look at stuff that's there and you find stuff that's objectionable, you want to fix it,' he said. The US energy secretary, Chris Wright, said the administration will be producing updated reports 'with comments' just days after the Department of Energy published a report saying concern over the climate crisis is overblown. In recent weeks the Trump administration deleted the website that hosted the periodic, legally mandated, national climate assessments (the most recent report is hosted on the Guardian website and can be read in full here). Asked about Wright's comments on the national climate assessment reports, respected climate scientist Michael Mann said in an emailed comment to the Guardian: 'This is exactly what Joseph Stalin did.' In a statement on Thursday, Dr Rachel Cleetus, policy director at the Union of Concerned Scientists, and one of the authors of the sixth NCA report due in 2028 that the administration dismissed earlier this year, said she was dismayed by Wright's comments. 'Secretary Wright just confirmed our worst fears – that this administration plans to not just bury the scientific evidence but replace it with outright lies to downplay the worsening climate crisis and evade responsibility for addressing it. 'The process for developing the congressionally mandated National Climate Assessment reports is rigorous, with federal agencies and hundreds of scientists constructing this solid scientific foundation that decision makers, businesses and the public rely on to stay safe in a world made more perilous each day by climate change. 'People across the country are already reeling from climate-fueled worsening heatwaves, floods, wildfires and storms. Lying about that reality doesn't change it; it just leaves people in harm's way. We urge Congress to intervene to safeguard the integrity of the NCA reports so they remain vital, lifesaving tools in the fight against climate change.' The NCA reports are published by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (Noaa) and a Department of Energy spokesperson told CNN that Wright was 'not suggesting he personally would be altering past reports'. In May, the American Meteorological Society and the American Geophysical Union said they would join forces to produce peer-reviewed research on the climate crisis's impact after the NCA contributors for the 2028 publication were dismissed. The energy department's climate report last week was published on the same day the Environmental Protection Agency announced a proposal to undo the 2009 'endangerment finding', which allows the agency to limit planet-heating pollution from cars and trucks, power plants and other industrial sources.
CTV News
3 days ago
- CTV News
Extreme heat is threatening tropical birds, even in untouched forests, scientists warn
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The study shows extreme heat events are a 'primary driver of species loss' — which can explain why even bird populations in some of the most pristine corners of Earth are dwindling, said James Watson, a professor in conservation science at the University of Queensland and one of the study's authors. 'It really points to the fact that we've got to get greenhouse gas emissions sorted out, because these extreme heat scenarios are going to increase over time,' Watson said. Watson and his colleagues analyzed more than 90,000 scientific observations from more than 3,000 bird populations and matched it with daily weather records dating back to 1940, to see how bird populations responded to extreme weather events, including rainfall and heatwaves. They tested their findings against data on human industrial activity to focus specifically on impacts from climate change. Aracari toucan, tropical bird A collared aracari toucan sitting on the moss branch in the forest, Boca Tapada, Costa Rica. 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The study underscores the threat extreme heat poses to birds in tropical regions and helps explain why birds are dying even in remote and protected areas, typically considered havens of biodiversity. In two undisturbed rainforests in Panama and the Amazon, bird populations declined by more than 50% for the majority of species between 1977 and 2020, and between 2003 and 2022, respectively, according to the study. When birds are exposed to extreme heat, they can become hyperthermic, where their body temperature is elevated to a dangerous level. Since birds can't sweat, under these conditions, they may start to pant or expose more of their skin to try to release the heat. Golden bowerbird, tropical bird A golden bowerbird in Queensland, Australia. (sohnjoo c 2013/imageBROKER/Shutterstock via CNN Newsource) The bird may become dehydrated or disoriented, and in some cases, lose consciousness and fall from their perches. Exposure to extreme heat can also cause organ damage in birds and hinder their reproductive capacity. Part of what makes the tropics such important areas for biodiversity is also what makes them particularly fragile to climate change. 'It's almost the perfect storm,' said Golo Maurer, the director of bird conservation strategy at Birdlife Australia. In tropical areas, you find species with small populations that have found their niche in a very narrow band of temperatures, said Maurer, who was not involved in the study. 'This, in turn, drives amazing diversity.' But when temperatures increase beyond these comfortable bands, tropical birds struggle to adapt, Watson said. 'They've got far smaller populations, and their evolutionary capacity is much, much smaller,' Watson said. 'Another wake-up call' Maurer said the study shows 'we can't just sit back' and assume species will be safe because they are in protected areas. 'Climate change is so pervasive that it will affect those areas as well,' he said. Maurer said he has noticed how climate change is affecting birds in his tropical home of north Queensland, Australia, an area known for its biodiversity with a large number of endemic birds. For example, BirdLife's volunteer observers have been having to go to higher elevations to spot golden bowerbirds, small yellow birds which have a small range and live in the rainforest in Queensland, Maurer said. Watson said the study should serve as 'another wake-up call that greenhouse gas emissions and climate change are a major problem for biodiversity.' 'We have to abate climate change as a primary strategy, because we will lose vast numbers of species in the tropics if we don't.' By Lex Harvey, CNN
Winnipeg Free Press
6 days ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
Republican Winsome Earle-Sears is on the defensive in Virginia's race for governor
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Youngkin, who is term-limited, has offered more than $21,000 in support to Earle-Sears through his political action committee between March and June. When asked in June whether he would give more, his PAC said the governor was 'working to elect the entire GOP ticket and is urging all Virginians to support the commonsense team this November to keep Virginia winning.' Tepid support from Trump Republicans went into this election facing tough sledding in swing-state Virginia. Ever since Democrat Jimmy Carter won the White House in 1976, Virginia has backed a governor from the opposite party of a first-term president in the following year. Whatever the outcome in Virginia, 2025 is a special case, given the gap between Trump's terms. Trump stopped short of an outright endorsement when asked last weekend about supporting Earle-Sears. 'I mean, I would,' he said. 'I think probably she's got a tough race. … She shouldn't have, because the candidate she's running against is not very good, but I think she's got a tough race. But I would.' Many state Republicans are more forceful about standing behind their nominee. At the Hopewell gathering, Republican Dels. Mike Cherry and Scott Wyatt, who are seeking reelection, urged voters to back the lieutenant governor. In a prayer, Cherry asked God to 'imbue her with strength and stamina for the days that are to come in the final, waning days of this election.' Wyatt encouraged voters to help Earle-Sears continue the successes of Youngkin's administration. Then Earle-Sears walked onto the stage, smiling and cracking jokes. She described a political climate where Democrats and the media were hitting her with everything they've got. She predicted that she would show them come November. 'How many of you have seen or read about the polls, which say I am 10 points down?' she said. 'Don't believe it.' 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