How Trump’s Team Aims to Challenge Climate Science: What You Need to Know

The Timing Couldn’t Be Worse.

By Ben Jealous

2024 is shaping up to be the hottest year ever recorded. Temperatures have soared past the previous high set in 2023. It has even crossed the limit of 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels, a crucial target from the Paris Climate Agreement.

Everywhere you turn, the effects of climate change are obvious. Whether it’s news of wildfires or storms, or if you notice changes around you, the climate crisis is here.

Now is the worst time to disregard climate science, yet that’s exactly what the new administration—led by President Donald Trump—is hinting at. His choices for key government roles suggest a clear shift toward a pro-fossil fuel, anti-science agenda. Nominees like Lee Zeldin for the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and Christ Wright for the Department of Energy raise serious concerns for communities and working families. These aren’t the only threats, though.

Russell Vought, nominated to lead the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), has a troubling track record. He’s played a big role in Project 2025, a plan aiming to weaken democratic controls and elevate an extreme right-wing agenda. As head of the OMB, he’d have substantial power across the government, including climate policy.

Vought has been outspoken about his intent to hamper scientists focused on public health and climate issues. He wants to create an environment where these experts feel unwelcome in their roles, cutting their funding and influence. This approach is alarming.

His attack on the National Climate Assessment, a vital report created by numerous scientists, is particularly worrisome. This Assessment serves as the foundation for much of the U.S. government’s climate policy. Vought wants to give more control to the White House over this report, potentially allowing political influence to dictate scientific conclusions.

Michael Mann, a climate scientist, warned that undermining such assessments could derail efforts to move away from fossil fuels toward renewable energy sources. It’s more than just a political maneuver; it stakes the health and economic futures of countless Americans on the line.

Project 2025 also proposes dismantling important scientific institutions like the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), viewing it as a driver of climate change “alarmism.” This agency plays a critical role in climate research and weather forecasting, vital for public safety.

In the lead-up to the elections, Congresswoman Sara Jacobs highlighted that Project 2025 resembles a coup against democracy itself. It’s an attempt not only to challenge democratic checks and balances but also to thwart America’s role in addressing the critical climate crisis facing our planet.

For the sake of our environment and communities affected by extreme weather, we must critically assess the impacts of these nominations. We need leaders who put science and safety first.

Ben Jealous is the Executive Director of the Sierra Club and a Professor of Practice at the University of Pennsylvania.