SUBSCRIBE TO OUR FREE NEWSLETTER
Daily news & progressive opinion—funded by the people, not the corporations—delivered straight to your inbox.
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
A recent study conducted by Australian climate experts has forecasted that rapidly warming global temperatures could cause human civilization to collapse as early as 2050. (Photo: GRIDArendal)
Trump's War on Science Is Grounds to Impeach
There are fresh signs that the Trump Administration intends to actively interfere in research by federal scientists
Jun 12, 2019
Since the earliest days of the Trump Administration, we've heard how Trump and his allies may have covered up evidence and obstructed investigations into Russiagate and other improprieties. Unsurprisingly, this has led to calls for the President's impeachment.
But there are other, more serious forms of obstruction that haven't generated anywhere near as much attention, despite potentially catastrophic consequences for the country and the world. And the most dangerous of these has been the Trump administration's near-constant war on science.
Trump and his administration are slashing common-sense regulations and censoring science to enrich their fossil fuel industry backers, exposing the country and the whole world to potentially catastrophic consequences. They are literally willing to endanger human lives and the very future of humanity for corporate profit.
A recent report by the Union of Concerned Scientists, "Science under Siege at the Department of the Interior," documents how the Trump team has set out to obfuscate the findings of scientists through the use of censorship and distortion. And just this month, the State Department blocked a State Department official from testifying to Congress on the "possibly catastrophic" security impacts of climate change, even as an Australian study warned that civilization itself could be under dire threat by 2050.
Recently, the Department of Energy began referring to natural gas as "freedom gas," which sounds like something straight out of satire site The Onion. Unintentional humor aside, this choice of terminology resembles the calculated debasement of language by totalitarian states.
If the comparatively venal case of Russiagate is grounds for impeachment, why isn't this?
Last November, when a report by government scientists contradicted Trump's position and showed that the United States will suffer devastating consequences from climate change, the president simply declared that reality was irrelevant. "I don't believe it" was his response.
Now there are fresh signs that the Trump Administration intends to actively interfere in research by federal scientists. The New York Times reports that scientists who prepare the National Climate Assessment will now be instructed not to include the worst-case scenarios of climate change in their reports, so the full extent of potential impacts will be hidden from readers. They will also be asked to project their model results through 2040 instead of the end of the century, masking some of the most dire effects of climate change.
The administration is also reportedly setting up a "review panel" to publicly scrutinize the conclusions of the National Climate Assessment. Given the administration's track record, it wouldn't be surprising if the "review panel" is stacked with industry hacks or scientific outcasts like William Happer--Trump's reported choice for chair, who has likened what he termed the "demonization" of carbon emissions to the Holocaust.
Governments that respect democracy, transparency and truth don't systematically obstruct scientific research and harass scientists. Nor do they resort to crude propagandistic terms like "freedom gas" to mask the truth about their agenda.
This is obstruction and collusion of the worst and highest order. If the comparatively venal case of Russiagate is grounds for impeachment, why isn't this?
An Urgent Message From Our Co-Founder
Dear Common Dreams reader, It’s been nearly 30 years since I co-founded Common Dreams with my late wife, Lina Newhouser. We had the radical notion that journalism should serve the public good, not corporate profits. It was clear to us from the outset what it would take to build such a project. No paid advertisements. No corporate sponsors. No millionaire publisher telling us what to think or do. Many people said we wouldn't last a year, but we proved those doubters wrong. Together with a tremendous team of journalists and dedicated staff, we built an independent media outlet free from the constraints of profits and corporate control. Our mission has always been simple: To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. Building Common Dreams was not easy. Our survival was never guaranteed. When you take on the most powerful forces—Wall Street greed, fossil fuel industry destruction, Big Tech lobbyists, and uber-rich oligarchs who have spent billions upon billions rigging the economy and democracy in their favor—the only bulwark you have is supporters who believe in your work. But here’s the urgent message from me today. It's never been this bad out there. And it's never been this hard to keep us going. At the very moment Common Dreams is most needed, the threats we face are intensifying. We need your support now more than ever. 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. When everyone does the little they can afford, we are strong. But if that support retreats or dries up, so do we. Will you donate now to make sure Common Dreams not only survives but thrives? —Craig Brown, Co-founder |
Basav Sen
Basav Sen is the climate justice project director at the Institute for Policy Studies (IPS) and writes on the intersections of climate change and social and economic justice. Prior to joining IPS, Basav worked for 11 years as a campaign researcher for the United Food and Commercial Workers.
Since the earliest days of the Trump Administration, we've heard how Trump and his allies may have covered up evidence and obstructed investigations into Russiagate and other improprieties. Unsurprisingly, this has led to calls for the President's impeachment.
But there are other, more serious forms of obstruction that haven't generated anywhere near as much attention, despite potentially catastrophic consequences for the country and the world. And the most dangerous of these has been the Trump administration's near-constant war on science.
Trump and his administration are slashing common-sense regulations and censoring science to enrich their fossil fuel industry backers, exposing the country and the whole world to potentially catastrophic consequences. They are literally willing to endanger human lives and the very future of humanity for corporate profit.
A recent report by the Union of Concerned Scientists, "Science under Siege at the Department of the Interior," documents how the Trump team has set out to obfuscate the findings of scientists through the use of censorship and distortion. And just this month, the State Department blocked a State Department official from testifying to Congress on the "possibly catastrophic" security impacts of climate change, even as an Australian study warned that civilization itself could be under dire threat by 2050.
Recently, the Department of Energy began referring to natural gas as "freedom gas," which sounds like something straight out of satire site The Onion. Unintentional humor aside, this choice of terminology resembles the calculated debasement of language by totalitarian states.
If the comparatively venal case of Russiagate is grounds for impeachment, why isn't this?
Last November, when a report by government scientists contradicted Trump's position and showed that the United States will suffer devastating consequences from climate change, the president simply declared that reality was irrelevant. "I don't believe it" was his response.
Now there are fresh signs that the Trump Administration intends to actively interfere in research by federal scientists. The New York Times reports that scientists who prepare the National Climate Assessment will now be instructed not to include the worst-case scenarios of climate change in their reports, so the full extent of potential impacts will be hidden from readers. They will also be asked to project their model results through 2040 instead of the end of the century, masking some of the most dire effects of climate change.
The administration is also reportedly setting up a "review panel" to publicly scrutinize the conclusions of the National Climate Assessment. Given the administration's track record, it wouldn't be surprising if the "review panel" is stacked with industry hacks or scientific outcasts like William Happer--Trump's reported choice for chair, who has likened what he termed the "demonization" of carbon emissions to the Holocaust.
Governments that respect democracy, transparency and truth don't systematically obstruct scientific research and harass scientists. Nor do they resort to crude propagandistic terms like "freedom gas" to mask the truth about their agenda.
This is obstruction and collusion of the worst and highest order. If the comparatively venal case of Russiagate is grounds for impeachment, why isn't this?
Basav Sen
Basav Sen is the climate justice project director at the Institute for Policy Studies (IPS) and writes on the intersections of climate change and social and economic justice. Prior to joining IPS, Basav worked for 11 years as a campaign researcher for the United Food and Commercial Workers.
Since the earliest days of the Trump Administration, we've heard how Trump and his allies may have covered up evidence and obstructed investigations into Russiagate and other improprieties. Unsurprisingly, this has led to calls for the President's impeachment.
But there are other, more serious forms of obstruction that haven't generated anywhere near as much attention, despite potentially catastrophic consequences for the country and the world. And the most dangerous of these has been the Trump administration's near-constant war on science.
Trump and his administration are slashing common-sense regulations and censoring science to enrich their fossil fuel industry backers, exposing the country and the whole world to potentially catastrophic consequences. They are literally willing to endanger human lives and the very future of humanity for corporate profit.
A recent report by the Union of Concerned Scientists, "Science under Siege at the Department of the Interior," documents how the Trump team has set out to obfuscate the findings of scientists through the use of censorship and distortion. And just this month, the State Department blocked a State Department official from testifying to Congress on the "possibly catastrophic" security impacts of climate change, even as an Australian study warned that civilization itself could be under dire threat by 2050.
Recently, the Department of Energy began referring to natural gas as "freedom gas," which sounds like something straight out of satire site The Onion. Unintentional humor aside, this choice of terminology resembles the calculated debasement of language by totalitarian states.
If the comparatively venal case of Russiagate is grounds for impeachment, why isn't this?
Last November, when a report by government scientists contradicted Trump's position and showed that the United States will suffer devastating consequences from climate change, the president simply declared that reality was irrelevant. "I don't believe it" was his response.
Now there are fresh signs that the Trump Administration intends to actively interfere in research by federal scientists. The New York Times reports that scientists who prepare the National Climate Assessment will now be instructed not to include the worst-case scenarios of climate change in their reports, so the full extent of potential impacts will be hidden from readers. They will also be asked to project their model results through 2040 instead of the end of the century, masking some of the most dire effects of climate change.
The administration is also reportedly setting up a "review panel" to publicly scrutinize the conclusions of the National Climate Assessment. Given the administration's track record, it wouldn't be surprising if the "review panel" is stacked with industry hacks or scientific outcasts like William Happer--Trump's reported choice for chair, who has likened what he termed the "demonization" of carbon emissions to the Holocaust.
Governments that respect democracy, transparency and truth don't systematically obstruct scientific research and harass scientists. Nor do they resort to crude propagandistic terms like "freedom gas" to mask the truth about their agenda.
This is obstruction and collusion of the worst and highest order. If the comparatively venal case of Russiagate is grounds for impeachment, why isn't this?
We've had enough. The 1% own and operate the corporate media. They are doing everything they can to defend the status quo, squash dissent and protect the wealthy and the powerful. The Common Dreams media model is different. We cover the news that matters to the 99%. Our mission? To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. How? Nonprofit. Independent. Reader-supported. Free to read. Free to republish. Free to share. With no advertising. No paywalls. No selling of your data. Thousands of small donations fund our newsroom and allow us to continue publishing. Can you chip in? We can't do it without you. Thank you.