WASHINGTON, DC - Donald Trump has decided not to renew the federal Advisory Committee for the Sustained National Climate Assessment, which is set to expire on Sunday. As reported by the Washington Post, the committee, established in 2015, convened their first meeting in the fall. The committee will continue to draft an advisory report which is due out next spring and which is designed to inform federal officials on the data sets and approaches that would best be included in the official 2018 National Climate Assessment.
This decision is the latest in a disturbing pattern of the Trump administration dissolving and undermining important scientific advisory committees, including at the Environmental Protection Agency under Scott Pruitt.
In Response, Sierra Club Global Climate Policy Director John Coequyt Released the Following Statement:
“Donald Trump’s attempt to purge scientists from the federal government is a threat to the health of our families and the safety of our communities, but it also poses a danger to this administration itself. Throwing out anyone who recognizes the reality of the climate crisis means Trump’s own policies - should he actually ever pass any of them - will be fatally flawed in that they won’t account for the massive costs of climate impacts like rising seas, dirtier air, and more extreme weather. As the draft National Climate Assessment makes clear, the truth about the climate crisis will always be out there. If Trump continues to refuse to listen, it’ll be at a cost to everyone in this country, including his administration.”