Sign in Subscribe
Climate change

Trump Administration's Climate Reports Criticized by Scientists for Bias and Errors

Strategic Insights

— 1 min read

The Trump administration has released two reports challenging the long-standing finding that climate change poses a threat to public health and welfare. However, dozens of scientists have reviewed the documents and found them to be riddled with errors, bias, and distortions. The reports, which were filled with misleading data and cherry-picked information, have been widely criticized by the scientific community.

Key Takeaways:

  • 64 scientists surveyed by the AP found the reports to be biased, with 53 giving them a negative review and 7 praising them. The remaining 4 took no clear position.
  • 15 scientists whose work was cited in the reports said it was misused, misinterpreted, or taken out of context.
  • The reports argue that climate models used by scientists to predict warming have overreached and that long-term trends for disasters generally don't show much change.
  • One of the reports uses a French-focused study on climate-related crop losses for a claim about the U.S., which the author said doesn't work due to significant differences in climate and agriculture.
  • The reports reproduce unreliable wildfire data, making it appear as if fires were worse a century ago than they have been more recently.
  • The documents also claim that ocean acidification should more accurately be called "ocean neutralization," which is a misleading term that understates the harm caused by rising carbon dioxide levels.

Statistics:

  • 53 out of 64 scientists surveyed by the AP gave the EPA and DOE documents a negative review.
  • 7 out of 64 scientists surveyed by the AP praised the reports.
  • 15 out of 64 scientists whose work was cited in the reports said it was misused, misinterpreted, or taken out of context.
  • The 10-year average annual burn rate for wildfires in the U.S. changed from 6.5 million acres in 2007 to almost 7.6 million acres in 2024.
  • Arctic sea ice extent has declined by more than 40% since 1980, while Antarctic sea ice has declined by about 5%.

Sources:

  • The Associated Press. (2025). Trump Administration's Climate Reports Criticized by Scientists for Bias and Errors.
  • The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
  • The Department of Energy (DOE)

Read more