Scientists Leak Climate Change Report to NYT, So Americans See It Before Trump Denies It

A report compiled by scientists from 13 federal agencies revealed that the nation’s average temperature had risen dramatically since 1980; it’s “extremely likely” that accelerated rise in temperature can be attributed to human influence, the report claims.

Scientists were seemingly so concerned that President Trump would refute a report detailing the effects of climate change on the U.S., they leaked it to the New York Times. Even if Trump refuses to approve their perilous findings, as he is required to do before the report is publicly released, the conclusions are now printed for America to see.

Congress requires that the National Climate Assessment is completed every four years. This year’s report should be a blazing red flag to the Trump Administration, but since it staffed with an all star cast of climate deniers, they will undoubtedly dispute its analysis. According to the draft, which has already been approved by the National Academy of Sciences, further climate change “depends on future emissions and the sensitivity of the climate system to those emissions.”

The report’s conclusions also demonstrate a connection between extreme weather and climate change. Termed “attribution science,” the increasingly necessary field of science ventures to explain unusual and severe weather.

From The Times:

The study examines every corner of the United States and finds that all of it was touched by climate change. It said the average annual rainfall across the country has increased by about 4 percent since the beginning of the 20th century. Parts of the West, Southwest and Southeast are drying up, while the Southern Plains and Midwest are getting wetter.

And it gets worse. Scientists concluded that even if humans stopped emitting greenhouse gases tomorrow (they won’t), earth’s average temperature would still increase by roughly 0.50 degrees Fahrenheit or 0.30 degree Celsius. The Paris Climate Agreement’s goal to keep global temperatures from rising 2 degrees Celsius seems loftier and loftier.

Given Trump’s announced denial of science, it seems likely that he won’t sign off on the report. He has until August 13 to do so. But before he approves of the report, it must clear an arguably more challenging hurdle: the Scott Pruitt-led Environmental Protection Agency.