A rare political success for American climate scientists: the Trump government dismantled its own climate working group last week, less than two months after the publication of the first report. That controversial report questioned climate risks and, according to critics, selective from existing science. The dismantling of the working group follows a very critical counter -report of more than 85 climate scientists and a lawsuit, brought by an environmental organization and a covenant of scientists.
The working group consisted of five well -known critics of climate science. She set That scientists exaggerate the adverse effects of climate change and that there are also positive effects. The report largely relied on earlier research by the working group members themselves. 11 percent of the sources performed consisted of work of the authors. For comparison: in the most recent IPCC climate report that 230 scientists worked on, that was less than 3 percent.
The lawsuit against the working group, which is tired in August, is no longer relevant, the US Department of Energy wrote in a statement. That case revolves around the accusation that the working group was established in violation of the law and is not balanced.
The report has not been withdrawn, despite the dismantling of the group itself. Two working group members said against Nature that they have their work Want to continue ‘independently’. A spokesperson for the Ministry said to CNN That the purpose of the working group has been achieved, namely “to start a broader discussion about the certainties and uncertainties about climate science”.
The report of the working group cannot be seen separately from Trumps attempt to reverse climate policy of predecessors. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) reported a 2009 decision earlier this year, which states that greenhouse gases harm public health. That decision is the legal basis under a large part of the climate policy of the United States. The boss of the EPA appointed by Trump seized the report of the Climate Working Group to justify that reconsideration.
It appeared last month critical report Against the EPA decision, thousands of reactions from scientists contain spread over 459 pages. Investigations in the original report were incorrectly presented, outdated or omitted important information, according to the cooperating climate scientists. The collaboration was more or less spontaneous, after climate scientist Andrew Dessler on Bluesky Whether someone was already working on a response to the report of the Climate Working Group.
“My interpretation is that they are hoisting the white flag,” Dessler told CNN after dismantling the working group. “How can five people react to thousands of reactions? They have not the arguments or knowledge in many areas. Any attempt to respond would have revealed how unscientific the report actually was.”