Trump energy nominee misinterprets studies to support claims, scientists say [View all]

Source: Washington Post

Today at 6:00 a.m. EST


Oil executive Chris Wright, President-elect Donald Trump’s pick to lead the Energy Department, accepts that burning fossil fuel is warming the planet, but departs from the mainstream over the consequences, contending that there is no climate crisis.

Wright cites scientific studies to argue that global warming “alarmists,” as he calls the majority of climate scientists, have it all wrong. He rattles off data to support his contention that a warmer Earth has reduced deaths from cold weather. And he points to published research to assert that hurricanes and other major storms are not growing in intensity, despite observations by meteorologists.

The references to scientific research make his arguments seem more compelling, but the authors of those studies told The Washington Post in interviews that Wright has misrepresented their work.

“What he is saying is flat out wrong,” said Jim Kossin, a climate and atmospheric scientist who was an author of a section of the United Nations’ Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change report about dangerous weather that Wright cited in a recent video on LinkedIn. Other researchers accused Wright of cherry-picking bits of data to support his thesis while ignoring abundant evidence of climate dangers.


Read more: https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2024/12/04/trump-energy-climate-nominee-chris-wright/