This article was originally published by the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists.
The Trump administration’s second term has intensified its opposition to climate science. Beyond dismissing climate change as a fraud, newly disclosed government documents reveal efforts to replace scientific facts with propaganda.
In a recent legal victory, the Environmental Defense Fund and the Union of Concerned Scientists secured the release of government documents related to a clandestine “Climate Working Group” formed by Energy Secretary Chris Wright. These documents indicate that the administration recruited a select group of climate change skeptics to create a biased report aimed at discrediting the EPA’s Endangerment Finding, which highlights the known risks of global warming pollutants. This finding, substantiated by a recent National Academies report, remains significant today.
Last month, the EPA finalized a rule that overturned the Endangerment Finding. Despite claims that the agency did not depend on the flawed Climate Working Group report, key elements of the final decision reveal a concerning disregard for established science. The documents also disclose plans to involve these same skeptics in drafting the next National Climate Assessment.
The implications of these actions are profound, endangering public safety nationwide. As the impacts of climate change grow more severe and costly, it is crucial for policymakers to rely on sound science to shape policies that mitigate climate change and safeguard communities. However, the Trump administration appears more focused on promoting fossil fuels and undermining scientific evidence to justify its agenda.
In August, the Environmental Defense Fund and the Union of Concerned Scientists initiated a lawsuit against the administration for violating the Federal Advisory Committee Act by secretly forming the Climate Working Group and concealing its activities.
This Act, established in 1972, aims to prevent undue influence on government decisions by requiring transparency and accountability when federal agencies rely on external experts for policy advice. It mandates balanced committee membership, a formal charter for their work, public meetings, and the availability of all related materials.
The Climate Working Group violated these requirements by operating in secrecy, lacking transparency, and consisting entirely of climate science skeptics—John Christy, Judith Curry, Steven Koonin, Ross McKitrick, and Roy Spencer—resulting in an imbalanced committee.
On January 30, Judge William G. Young of the US District Court for the District of Massachusetts ruled that the Trump administration had violated the law. The administration did not contest this finding, though it disbanded the group after the lawsuit was filed. The court’s judgment confirmed the violations as a matter of law against the Energy Department, Secretary Wright, and the Climate Working Group.
The court ordered the government to release all documents related to the Climate Working Group’s formation and activities. The Environmental Defense Fund and the Union of Concerned Scientists have made over 100,000 documents publicly available. Nevertheless, the discredited Climate Working Group report remains accessible on government websites, posing a threat to informed policymaking.
A significant revelation from these documents is the Trump administration’s attempt to undermine the process of drafting a credible National Climate Assessment. Emails reveal that Climate Working Group members were involved in critiquing the Fifth National Climate Assessment and proposing changes to its process. The intent was to distort the latest science and disrupt trusted scientific evaluations to weaken the foundation for climate action.
The National Climate Assessment, managed by the US Global Change Research Program, is a legally required climate science report produced since 2000. The 1990 Global Change Research Act mandates periodic reports analyzing the effects of global change on various sectors. These assessments provide essential information for state and local governments, communities, and private sector decision-makers who face climate risks.
The latest report, NCA5, released in 2023, was compiled by hundreds of experts and underwent thorough peer review. Despite this, the documents show that officials and Climate Working Group members made unfounded attacks on the report, seeking to exaggerate uncertainties to deny climate change’s effects on society and the economy.
In April, the Trump administration disbanded the team for the Sixth National Climate Assessment and dismissed the Global Change Research Program staff, removing its website and past assessments. The administration has not clarified how it will comply with the law, but the documents suggest continued efforts to manipulate science. In one email, Travis Fisher, a Department of Energy appointee, hinted that Climate Working Group members might be asked to contribute to NCA 6.
Relying on the same climate skeptics to draft the National Climate Assessment would likely replicate the poor quality of the Climate Working Group report, which scientists criticized for inaccuracies, selective data use, and misrepresenting findings, echoing fossil fuel industry disinformation.
Climate science propaganda has become the US government’s stance. Meanwhile, scientists warn that global warming could exceed 1.5 degrees Celsius soon, with extreme weather events intensifying and long-term risks growing. Despite this, the administration continues to prioritize fossil fuel interests over public safety and environmental health.
The lawsuit under the Federal Advisory Committee Act has shed light on the Trump administration’s deceptive strategies to undermine climate science. Legal challenges to the administration’s harmful actions will persist. The Union of Concerned Scientists, the Environmental Defense Fund, and other groups have joined a lawsuit challenging the repeal of the endangerment finding. Despite efforts to obscure evidence of climate damage, the American public deserves genuine solutions to the climate crisis, not more self-serving falsehoods.
