The Trump administration has appointed Matthew Wielicki, a former geochemist who has publicly criticized established climate science and labeled himself an 'Earth science professor-in-exile,' to oversee the US Global Change Research Program (USGCRP). This program produces the National Climate Assessment (NCA), a congressionally mandated report detailing climate impacts on the United States.
Wielicki's Background and Views
Wielicki, who lacks formal training in climate science, frequently posts content critical of climate science online, including videos produced by the rightwing YouTube channel PragerU. In a recent social media post, he questioned the attribution of extreme weather events to climate change, writing, 'If every extreme weather event ends up being attributed to climate change in one way or another, is it really attribution science ... or just confirmation bias dressed up as science?'
In 2023, Wielicki stated that people who believe in climate science are 'being sold snake oil.' On his blog, Irrational Fear, he cast doubt on earlier National Climate Assessments and argued that increasing solar radiation, not carbon dioxide, is the primary cause of atmospheric warming.
Appointment Amidst Broader Climate Research Cuts
Wielicki's appointment comes as the Trump administration has significantly reduced climate research efforts during its second term. Officials have closed data-collection offices, eliminated climate research programs, and last year shut down the online portal for accessing previous National Climate Assessments. The assessments are legally required to be produced every four years under a 1990 law.
In response to the administration's actions, two major US scientific societies—the American Meteorological Society and the American Geophysical Union—announced last year that they would produce peer-reviewed research to fill gaps left by the gutted USGCRP. This followed the dismissal of all contributors to the sixth National Climate Assessment.
Reactions to the Appointment
A White House spokesperson defended the decision, stating that officials are 'committed to using the best scientific information to inform public policy' and that the USGCRP has been 'used as a vehicle for political agendas instead of sound science.' The spokesperson added, 'We look forward to restoring the USGCRP and ensuring it fulfills its legal mandate.'
However, Carlos Martinez, a senior climate scientist at the Union of Concerned Scientists, criticized the appointment, saying: 'Our country cannot afford a compromised USGCRP or NCA that peddles politically motivated disinformation echoing fossil fuel industry talking points. Reconstituting the USGCRP only to place the National Climate Assessment under the auspices of an utterly unqualified climate science denier would jeopardize the integrity of one of the nation’s most important climate science resources.'
Wielicki's Departure from Academia
Wielicki left his position as a geosciences professor at the University of Alabama three years ago, stating on social media that the profession was 'no longer worthy of my efforts.' He cited the earth science community's silence on what he called the false 'climate emergency' narrative, adding that colleagues 'dare not speak out ... lest they lose their positions and research funds.'
The appointment is part of a broader pattern of climate research attacks by the Trump administration, including a report published last summer by the energy department written by five climate skeptics that denied climate science. President Trump also received record donations from the fossil fuel industry during his campaign.
