SUBSCRIBE TO OUR FREE NEWSLETTER
Daily news & progressive opinion—funded by the people, not the corporations—delivered straight to your inbox.
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
To donate by check, phone, or other method, see our More Ways to Give page.
Daily news & progressive opinion—funded by the people, not the corporations—delivered straight to your inbox.
State Department intelligence analyst Rod Schoonover's testimony was nearly suppressed last week by the Trump administration. Schoonover testified before a House committee about the national security risks posed by the climate crisis. (Photo: Environmental Change and Security Program/Flickr/cc)
The Trump administration issued one of its most blatant attacks on climate science this past week when it tried to stop a State Department employee from testifying on the climate crisis, reports showed on Saturday.
As the Washington Post reported, intelligence analyst Rod Schoonover's testimony was submitted to the White House for approval ahead of his planned appearance before the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence. His remarks focused on the national security risks posed by the climate crisis.
The Trump administration refused to approve the testimony for entry into the congressional record, noting that the data Schoonover planned to present--drawing from top government scientists' research and peer-reviewed scientific reports--did not align with the executive branch's views.
\u201cThis is what propaganda ministries do. This is what fascists do. This is how freedom ends: denial of truth.\n\nhttps://t.co/EFEzdbwSw1\u201d— Tom Steyer (@Tom Steyer) 1560011009
National Security Council advisers wrote a number of comments on Schoonover's draft, saying the testimony was "not objective."
The testimony "includes lots of climate alarm propaganda that is not science at all," wrote William Happer, a senior member of the National Security Council who has sought to create a federal task force to challenge the consensus reached by 97 percent of peer-reviewed climate scientists who say humans are contributing to the climate crisis.
"I am embarrassed to have this go out on behalf of the executive branch of the federal government," Happer added, noting a particular objection to Schoonover's use of the term "tipping point" in reference to possible devastating, irreversible effects of the climate crisis.
"'Tipping points' is a propaganda slogan for the scientifically illiterate," Happer wrote.
Schoonover was ultimately permitted to testify before the committee, but his testimony was not submitted into the record because, the Office of Legislative Affairs said, it did not "jibe" with the Trump administration's views on the climate.
President Donald Trump and many of his appointees deny that human activity like the extraction of fossil fuels are contributing to the warming of the globe, which scientists warn is already causing extreme weather events like hurricanes and wildfires, rising sea levels, and melting glaciers. As Schoonover mentioned in his testimony, the last five years have been the warmest on record according to NASA.
Although Schoonover was able to testify, climate action advocates decried the White House's attempt to stifle the information he eventually shared with the committee.
"Any attempt to suppress information on the security risks of climate change threatens to leave the American public vulnerable and unsafe," Francesco Femia, chief executive of the Council on Strategic Risks and co-founder of the Center for Climate and Security, told the Post.
\u201cThis is as damning as it is shameful. The president is suppressing science \u2014 again. Denying reality doesn\u2019t make it go away. https://t.co/OlebRGNmJa\u201d— Jay Inslee (@Jay Inslee) 1560023444
\u201cIt is not the task of politicians to decide what science they like. Their task is to take into account scientific knowledge in their decision, whether they like that knowledge or not. \n\nhttps://t.co/oMqyZhUWsB\u201d— Sabine Hossenfelder (@Sabine Hossenfelder) 1560056760
Dear Common Dreams reader, The U.S. is on a fast track to authoritarianism like nothing I've ever seen. Meanwhile, corporate news outlets are utterly capitulating to Trump, twisting their coverage to avoid drawing his ire while lining up to stuff cash in his pockets. That's why I believe that Common Dreams is doing the best and most consequential reporting that we've ever done. Our small but mighty team is a progressive reporting powerhouse, covering the news every day that the corporate media never will. Our mission has always been simple: To inform. To inspire. And to ignite change for the common good. Now here's the key piece that I want all our readers to understand: None of this would be possible without your financial support. That's not just some fundraising cliche. It's the absolute and literal truth. We don't accept corporate advertising and never will. We don't have a paywall because we don't think people should be blocked from critical news based on their ability to pay. Everything we do is funded by the donations of readers like you. Will you donate now to help power the nonprofit, independent reporting of Common Dreams? Thank you for being a vital member of our community. Together, we can keep independent journalism alive when it’s needed most. - Craig Brown, Co-founder |
The Trump administration issued one of its most blatant attacks on climate science this past week when it tried to stop a State Department employee from testifying on the climate crisis, reports showed on Saturday.
As the Washington Post reported, intelligence analyst Rod Schoonover's testimony was submitted to the White House for approval ahead of his planned appearance before the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence. His remarks focused on the national security risks posed by the climate crisis.
The Trump administration refused to approve the testimony for entry into the congressional record, noting that the data Schoonover planned to present--drawing from top government scientists' research and peer-reviewed scientific reports--did not align with the executive branch's views.
\u201cThis is what propaganda ministries do. This is what fascists do. This is how freedom ends: denial of truth.\n\nhttps://t.co/EFEzdbwSw1\u201d— Tom Steyer (@Tom Steyer) 1560011009
National Security Council advisers wrote a number of comments on Schoonover's draft, saying the testimony was "not objective."
The testimony "includes lots of climate alarm propaganda that is not science at all," wrote William Happer, a senior member of the National Security Council who has sought to create a federal task force to challenge the consensus reached by 97 percent of peer-reviewed climate scientists who say humans are contributing to the climate crisis.
"I am embarrassed to have this go out on behalf of the executive branch of the federal government," Happer added, noting a particular objection to Schoonover's use of the term "tipping point" in reference to possible devastating, irreversible effects of the climate crisis.
"'Tipping points' is a propaganda slogan for the scientifically illiterate," Happer wrote.
Schoonover was ultimately permitted to testify before the committee, but his testimony was not submitted into the record because, the Office of Legislative Affairs said, it did not "jibe" with the Trump administration's views on the climate.
President Donald Trump and many of his appointees deny that human activity like the extraction of fossil fuels are contributing to the warming of the globe, which scientists warn is already causing extreme weather events like hurricanes and wildfires, rising sea levels, and melting glaciers. As Schoonover mentioned in his testimony, the last five years have been the warmest on record according to NASA.
Although Schoonover was able to testify, climate action advocates decried the White House's attempt to stifle the information he eventually shared with the committee.
"Any attempt to suppress information on the security risks of climate change threatens to leave the American public vulnerable and unsafe," Francesco Femia, chief executive of the Council on Strategic Risks and co-founder of the Center for Climate and Security, told the Post.
\u201cThis is as damning as it is shameful. The president is suppressing science \u2014 again. Denying reality doesn\u2019t make it go away. https://t.co/OlebRGNmJa\u201d— Jay Inslee (@Jay Inslee) 1560023444
\u201cIt is not the task of politicians to decide what science they like. Their task is to take into account scientific knowledge in their decision, whether they like that knowledge or not. \n\nhttps://t.co/oMqyZhUWsB\u201d— Sabine Hossenfelder (@Sabine Hossenfelder) 1560056760
The Trump administration issued one of its most blatant attacks on climate science this past week when it tried to stop a State Department employee from testifying on the climate crisis, reports showed on Saturday.
As the Washington Post reported, intelligence analyst Rod Schoonover's testimony was submitted to the White House for approval ahead of his planned appearance before the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence. His remarks focused on the national security risks posed by the climate crisis.
The Trump administration refused to approve the testimony for entry into the congressional record, noting that the data Schoonover planned to present--drawing from top government scientists' research and peer-reviewed scientific reports--did not align with the executive branch's views.
\u201cThis is what propaganda ministries do. This is what fascists do. This is how freedom ends: denial of truth.\n\nhttps://t.co/EFEzdbwSw1\u201d— Tom Steyer (@Tom Steyer) 1560011009
National Security Council advisers wrote a number of comments on Schoonover's draft, saying the testimony was "not objective."
The testimony "includes lots of climate alarm propaganda that is not science at all," wrote William Happer, a senior member of the National Security Council who has sought to create a federal task force to challenge the consensus reached by 97 percent of peer-reviewed climate scientists who say humans are contributing to the climate crisis.
"I am embarrassed to have this go out on behalf of the executive branch of the federal government," Happer added, noting a particular objection to Schoonover's use of the term "tipping point" in reference to possible devastating, irreversible effects of the climate crisis.
"'Tipping points' is a propaganda slogan for the scientifically illiterate," Happer wrote.
Schoonover was ultimately permitted to testify before the committee, but his testimony was not submitted into the record because, the Office of Legislative Affairs said, it did not "jibe" with the Trump administration's views on the climate.
President Donald Trump and many of his appointees deny that human activity like the extraction of fossil fuels are contributing to the warming of the globe, which scientists warn is already causing extreme weather events like hurricanes and wildfires, rising sea levels, and melting glaciers. As Schoonover mentioned in his testimony, the last five years have been the warmest on record according to NASA.
Although Schoonover was able to testify, climate action advocates decried the White House's attempt to stifle the information he eventually shared with the committee.
"Any attempt to suppress information on the security risks of climate change threatens to leave the American public vulnerable and unsafe," Francesco Femia, chief executive of the Council on Strategic Risks and co-founder of the Center for Climate and Security, told the Post.
\u201cThis is as damning as it is shameful. The president is suppressing science \u2014 again. Denying reality doesn\u2019t make it go away. https://t.co/OlebRGNmJa\u201d— Jay Inslee (@Jay Inslee) 1560023444
\u201cIt is not the task of politicians to decide what science they like. Their task is to take into account scientific knowledge in their decision, whether they like that knowledge or not. \n\nhttps://t.co/oMqyZhUWsB\u201d— Sabine Hossenfelder (@Sabine Hossenfelder) 1560056760