The Trump administration has eliminated an advisory panel that makes a report on climate change more ‘accessible and useful’ to private groups and local governments – the latest advisory group to squelched.
The Advisory Committee for the Sustained National Climate Assessment expired on Sunday under the terms of its charter. The group consisted of 15 scientists and outside experts whose mission was to help teach the public about a climate change report.
‘Per the terms of the charter, the Federal Advisory Committee for the Sustained National Climate Assessment (Committee) expired on August 20, 2017,’ according to its web site. ‘The Department of Commerce and [the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration] appreciate the efforts of the Committee and offer sincere thanks to each of the Committee members for their service.’
President Donald Trump looks up at the partial solar eclipse from the balcony of the White House in Washington, DC, on August 21, 2017. His administration is disbanding a global warming advisory council
The local officials, scientists, and experts tried to help local officials understand and make use of the National Climate Assessment, which is mandated by law, so that they could better grapple with climate change.
‘Please note this action does not impact the completion of the Fourth National Climate Assessment, which remains a key priority for the Department and NOAA,’ according to the disbanded panel’s site.
That report is still being prepared. A draft of it got leaked to the New York Times by scientists concerned it would get suppressed, although it had already been uploaded by the nonprofit Internet Archive back in January.
A polar bear stands among a thin ice floe off the northern shores of the Svalbard Archipelago
President Donald Trump wears protective glasses as he views the solar eclipse, Monday, Aug. 21, 2017, at the White House in Washington
President Trump has in the past questioned the science behind global warming and said it could be a hoax perpetuated by China, and has announced that the U.S. will pull out of the Paris climate agreement.
The advisory committee’s chair, Dr. Richard H. Moss, of theJoint Global Change Research Institute, told the Washington Post getting rid of the panel was ‘short-sighted.’
‘We’re going to be running huge risks here and possibly end up hurting the next generation’s economic prospects,’ he said.
The move comes after Trump disbanded two outside counsels consisting of business CEOs to provide guidance on manufacturing and the economy. He got rid of the panels as they were preparing to disband following his remarks blaming ‘both sides’ for the violence in Charlottesville.
Fiddlers Ferry power station in Warrington, United Kingdom
‘Rather than putting pressure on the businesspeople of the Manufacturing Council & Strategy & Policy Forum, I am ending both,” Trump tweeted last week. “Thank you all!’
CEOs had been quitting the manufacturing council, and the Strategy and Policy Forum was preparing to disband in protest.
The White House also announced he will be skipping the Kennedy Center Honors, as artists were preparing to boycott an annual White House party honoring the honorees.
According to its website, the advisory committee helps the climate group ‘use the expertise of scientists and practitioners to identify opportunities for putting in place additional elements of a sustained process.’
The group ‘provides advice on making … data more accessible and useful to private sector/civic organizations and state/municipal governments for their use in planning and decision-making,’ it says.
One example cited by the Post is ensuring that civil engineers get the data they need to update building codes to prepare for the effects of climate change.