Trump faces potential conflict with National Academies as they uphold endangerment finding
The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine have released a report reaffirming that humanity's use of fossil fuels is warming the planet. This report comes amidst a storm of controversy surrounding scientific research being under siege by the Trump administration.
The National Academies, founded as an independent institution during the Abraham Lincoln administration, have continued their commitment to transparency, public input, and diverse viewpoints. Marcia McNutt, president of the National Academy of Sciences, emphasized the importance of a diversity of viewpoints from industry and academy in the production of the National Academies' report.
In contrast, a high-profile climate report published by the Department of Energy (DOE) was drafted without public comments by known climate contrarians, taking aim at the mainstream scientific consensus on global warming. The DOE report solicited public comments only after the draft report was published, a move that has been criticized for lack of transparency.
The National Academies' report, however, solicited public comments in advance and considered input from over 200 individuals and organizations before drafting its report. The committee included contributors who were required to disclose any conflicts of interest, including some authors who noted their investments in fossil fuel companies.
The National Academies undertook the report in response to a proposal by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to overturn the 2009 endangerment finding, which made clear greenhouse gases pose a threat to human health. The endangerment finding has long served as a backbone of federal climate regulations and has been targeted for deletion by critics, including EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin.
Thousands of federal scientists have left the federal government since President Donald Trump returned to the White House, through either layoffs or early retirements. The administration wants to cut billions of dollars for climate research and scientific equipment, including orbiting satellites.
The Trump administration's actions have not gone unchallenged. A federal judge in the District of Massachusetts has rebuked the DOE for the way its report was crafted in a lawsuit brought by environmental groups. The judge granted claims that the DOE report was not subject to federal transparency requirements under the Federal Advisory Committee Act.
The EPA has relied heavily on the DOE's climate report, which has been roundly criticized for false and misleading claims, to justify the proposed repeal. However, the National Academies' report, funded by the organization and involving a diverse committee of authors and reviewers, including former Trump administration officials and researchers with ties to the fossil fuel industry, presents a different narrative.
McNutt compared the process of the National Academies' report to the way the DOE report was conducted, pushing back against potential criticism of bias in the National Academies' process. There is no direct evidence that authors and reviewers of the National Academies report, which aligns with the Trump administration's climate policy, have a background or connections to the fossil fuel industry or the Trump administration.
The report states that the increase in Earth's temperature is putting people's health and welfare at risk. As the National Academies continue their work, they occupy a unique space in U.S. society, standing as a beacon of transparency and scientific integrity in a time of political turmoil.
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