Climate Report Could Force Trump to Choose Between Science and His Base

"WASHINGTON — The impending release of a key government report on climate change will force President Trump to choose between accepting the conclusions of his administration’s scientists and the demands of his conservative supporters, who remain deeply unconvinced that humans are the cause of the planet’s warming.

A White House official said on Tuesday that it was still reviewing the draft document that was written by scientists, some of whom have said they fear Mr. Trump will seek to bury it or alter its contents before it is formally released. Sarah Huckabee Sanders, the White House press secretary, said the administration would not comment on the report before its scheduled release this fall.

But the looming publication of the climate report — which concludes that “evidence for a changing climate abounds, from the top of the atmosphere to the depths of the oceans” — once again raises a contentious policy issue that has deeply divided Mr. Trump’s closest advisers since he arrived in the Oval Office."

Michael D. Shear and Brad Plumer report for the New York Times August 8, 2017.

SEE ALSO:

"Climate Report’s Deadline Poses Test for Trump Administration" (Wall Street Journal)

"Politics: The Bush Team Censored Climate Reports. Some Fear Trump More" (ClimateWire)

"Speaking Truth to Power on Climate Change: Why the Report Leaked" (InsideClimate News)

"Science Says: Trump Team Garbles Climate Science" (Associated Press)

"EPA Head Casts Doubt On ‘Supposed’ Threat From Climate Change" (The Hill)

"Haley: No Reason For Trump Administration To Reject Climate Change Report" (The Hill)

"Science: Those Looking For Uncertainty Could See Draft As A Windfall" (ClimateWire)