Trump Administration Appoints Climate Critic to Lead 2023 Assessment Program
Updated
Updated · The New York Times · Jul 10
Trump Administration Appoints Climate Critic to Lead 2023 Assessment Program
3 articles · Updated · The New York Times · Jul 10
Summary
Matthew M. Wielicki, a former University of Alabama geochemist with no formal climate-science training, was appointed to run the U.S. Global Change Research Program.
The program produces the congressionally mandated National Climate Assessment, a report used by policymakers, communities and industries to plan for climate risks across the country.
Wielicki has argued on social media and podcasts that mainstream climate science is too alarmist and underplays potential benefits of a warming planet.
The appointment follows the administration’s dismissal of hundreds of scientists working on the next assessment after the 2023 report linked human-caused warming to stronger wildfires, droughts and heat waves.
The move fits a broader Trump administration push to dismantle climate initiatives, with budget director Russell Vought calling for an overhaul of the program.