USGS to Only Use Climate Projections Through 2040

Director of the United States Geological Survey (USGS), Dr. James Reilly, has instructed scientists at the agency to only use computer-generated climate models that project climate change impacts through 2040 in their assessments, according to a report by the New York Times. The standard practice in climate science has been to project impacts through the end of the century. The effort to focus on short-term climate projections follows a February 2019 White House memo revealing the Administration’s plan to create an ad hoc panel to reassess the government’s analysis of climate science and examine whether climate change impacts national security. The committee will be examining two recent government reports: The National Climate Assessment, which is a congressionally mandated interagency report that is produced every 4 years, and a report by the Pentagon, which assessed the impact of sea-level rise on low-lying military installations. The Union of Concerned Scientists has criticized the move saying that it would provide a misleading picture of the consequences of climate change because most of the impacts of the current emissions will be felt after 2040. Administration officials have indicated that “worst-case scenario” projections, in which no efforts are made to curb emissions, will not automatically be included in the next National Climate Assessment report, which is expected to be released in 2021 or 2022. “The previous use of inaccurate mo...
Source: Public Policy Reports - Category: Biology Authors: Source Type: news