It has been reported that the Donald Trump administration has hired scientists who have openly opposed climate change for the Department of Energy. In response, experts are expressing concerns about the erosion of trust in the federal government's overall science policy.
According to a report by The New York Times (NYT) on the 8th (local time), the Department of Energy has recently recruited at least three scientists known for their climate change skepticism. These include physicist Steven Koonin, atmospheric scientist John Christy, and meteorologist Roy Spencer, all of whom appear to be registered as current employees in the government's email system.
They all share the common position that climate change is somewhat exaggerated. In a book published in 2021, Steven Koonin argued that while human activity is partly responsible for global warming, it is exaggerated and there is significant uncertainty. Christy and Spencer have also repeatedly stated that while humanity may have an impact on warming, natural changes in clouds are a larger factor.
Their recruitment can be seen as a direct reflection of President Trump's scientific policy stance. During his previous term, the Trump administration had already fired hundreds of scientists who led climate change response strategies and deleted numerous climate-related phrases from federal government websites, among other anti-environmental policies.
In particular, the most noteworthy figure among them is Steven Koonin, who served as the Deputy Minister for the Department of Energy during the Obama administration and previously worked for the oil company BP. He is currently active as a researcher at the Hoover Institution at Stanford University and is registered with the Department of Energy as a 'Special Government Employee (SGE).' This position allows him to serve as an advisor to the government on a temporary basis for up to 130 days a year, and he can also participate in government work.
Koonin said in an interview with NYT that he has been in personal contact with current Secretary of Energy Chris Wright since the publication of his book, adding that Wright read his book and evaluated it as 'excellent,' and they have continued their conversations since.
Roy Spencer is also known to have links with the Department of Energy. He is a scientist affiliated with the University of Alabama in Huntsville and has argued that the primary cause of climate change is not humans but natural fluctuations in clouds. He has also been active with the Heartland Institute and the Heritage Foundation, both of which are pro-Trump organizations, and has produced materials frequently cited in the conservative climate policy discourse. In fact, Secretary Wright has previously released a report emphasizing the value of fossil fuels based on atmospheric temperature records.
Christy, an atmospheric scientist who has created atmospheric temperature record data with Spencer, told NYT in an interview that he does not currently receive a government salary and described his role as unpaid advisory work only when needed.
Meanwhile, there is speculation that they may be involved in efforts to invalidate President Trump's 'endangerment finding.' Recently, President Trump has intensified moves to invalidate the 2009 'endangerment finding,' which classified greenhouse gases as a public health threat. This finding became the key legal basis for the U.S. government to regulate greenhouse gas emissions from vehicles and power plants during the Obama administration.
In this regard, President Trump directed on the first day of his second term to review the legality and ongoing applicability of the finding, and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recently officially submitted a proposal to the Office of Management and Budget at the White House, initiating the process for its repeal.
Experts are expressing concerns by stating that this appointment reflects a dismissal of climate science by the government. Michael Mann, a professor at Pennsylvania State University, noted that 'the scientific community is clear that the planet is warming rapidly, and the primary cause is human use of fossil fuels,' adding that 'the government's firing of hundreds of experts and filling the positions with a few politically biased individuals suggests a politicization of science.'
Andrew Dessler, a professor at Texas A&M University, warned that if these individuals are involved in the repeal of the 'endangerment finding,' it could fundamentally undermine the U.S. greenhouse gas regulatory framework, stating, 'the likelihood that future U.S. climate policy will be determined by political logic rather than science has increased.'