Experts observe a ‘low information’ reversal of U.S. climate dominance

Harvard scholars assert that the Trump administration is assaulting climate science from various angles with scant respect for federal regulations, expressing concern that reversing the resulting damage will be difficult even if the administration ultimately faces legal setbacks.

“This isn’t standard practice,” stated Jody Freeman, the Archibald Cox Professor of Law and faculty head of Harvard Law School’s Environmental and Energy Law Program. “No recent president has issued executive orders that so casually disregard legal boundaries. They are willing to gamble or intentionally breach legal stipulations while challenging others to pursue legal action against them.”

In April, the president endorsed at least two executive orders that jeopardize climate advancements, Freeman noted. One directs the Department of Justice to examine state climate initiatives that clash with federal policy; the other mandates federal agencies to support the nation’s declining coal sector.

Freeman made these comments during an online briefing organized by the Salata Institute for Climate and Sustainability. Other participants included former Obama science adviser and Teresa and John Heinz Research Professor of Environmental Policy John Holdren; Teresa and John Heinz Professor of the Practice of Environmental Policy Joseph Aldy; and Mary Rice, the Mark and Catherine Winkler Associate Professor of Environmental Respiratory Health.   

“All of this poses the risk of climate change accelerating beyond what it might have, potentially surpassing catastrophic tipping points.”

John Holdren

By disregarding climate change, the U.S. forfeits not only the confidence of its international allies, Holdren indicated. It squanders precious time in a contest with little room for error.

“Time lost in advancing solutions is lost forever,” he stated. “Moreover, all of this carries the risk of climate change increasing faster than it might otherwise, perhaps surpassing catastrophic tipping points.”

Numerous actions from the administration appear geared toward undermining our capacity to comprehend, much less combat, the climate crisis, asserted Holdren. He pointed to changes that have weakened the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, NASA, and the National Science Foundation, as well as reductions in efforts by non-governmental organizations and academic institutions. The U.S. and China have been the foremost leaders in tackling climate challenges, he argued. By decimating climate science, the administration is relinquishing leadership on a global issue only matched by nuclear threats and pandemics.

Aldy claimed that the new administration aspires to create a “low information” government, implementing several measures targeting the reduction of governmental data, on climate and other subjects. He foresees widespread adverse impacts affecting everything from student science initiatives to forecasts for hurricanes, extreme heat events, and wildfires, as well as the capacity of insurance firms to comprehend and factor extreme weather risks into their pricing structures.

“This government is actively taking deliberate steps to diminish the amount of available data and hinder the generation of new data and evidence by both government scientists and those funded through governmental resources,” he expressed.

Aldy also voiced concern over job cuts at federal agencies, including civil servants with scientific and policy knowledge who will be difficult to replace.

“Implementing policy is a challenging endeavor,” Aldy stated. “It’s vital to have a committed group of public servants who possess the requisite expertise and training in the sciences, law, public policy, public health, and engineering, among other fields. They must comprehend legislative actions from Congress, understand the administration’s intentions, and then work proficiently on executing plans to truly move forward with objectives.”

Rice expressed significant worry regarding reductions at the Environmental Protection Agency, whose research division is slated for substantial modifications and whose research funding to academic scientists has been drastically reduced. Philanthropic efforts can bridge some gaps, she noted, but not at a comparable scale or consistency. Much of the impacted work has direct implications for human health, she pointed out.

“In merely the past few days, the EPA has voided hundreds of research grants awarded to universities and scientists,” she stated, adding: “When science is suppressed, lives are endangered.”