White House brings back climate scientist forced out by Trump administration
clock The Biden administration has reinstalled the director of the federal climate program that produces the U.S. governments definitive reports on climate change, after the Trump administration removed him in November . Michael Kuperberg, the climate scientist who ran the program for six years during Democratic and Republican administrations, was reinstated Monday, the White House confirmed. As the executive director of the U.S. Global Change Research Program, Kuperberg coordinates climate change research across 13 federal agencies and production of the programs National Climate Assessment, the nations most important report on climate change science and its consequences. Im really excited to be back, Kuperberg said in an interview, calling the timing of his return perfect, considering the Biden administrations emphasis on global warming. I think [the program] is a critical component for advancing the climate agenda of this administration. We have an opportunity to put that science to work in informing decisions on our response to climate change. U.S. has entered unprecedented climate territory, EPA warns When he was exiled from his post and reassigned to the Energy Department in November, Kuperberg said he was surprised but knew it was a possibility, because he served at the discretion of the administration in power, whether Republican or Democratic. Its their prerogative to make those kinds of changes, he said. Now that hes back, Kuperberg stressed that he considers his job responsibilities nonpartisan. Were coordinating science and were trying to get to the nation the very best possible science, he said. This is not politics. Jane Lubchenco, who oversees the research program as the lead climate official at the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy , praised Kuperbergs ability to work across the political spectrum. Dr. Kuperberg has earned the trust of the science community and policymakers regardless of party stripes, Lubchenco said in a news release. In a letter to Kuperberg written Tuesday, Lubchenco called on him and the program to accelerate action on two fronts advancing science to increase our knowledge, especially on societally relevant topics, and ensuring that knowledge is understandable, accessible and usable to the key stakeholders. We are at a critical juncture, she wrote. Smart action, informed by science, is paramount. The role of [the program] has never been more important. Kuperbergs ouster in the fall came as the Trump administration promoted scientists who questioned the seriousness of climate change. It was an apparent effort to seize control of the reports scope and direction, in case President Donald Trump won reelection. Under Kuperbergs leadership, the research program had released the fourth edition of the climate assessment in 2018, detailing the severe consequences the United States will face if it takes little action to cut emissions and prepare for climate change. The report, produced by federal and independent scientists, angered White House officials because Trump consistently played down the seriousness of the climate threat and the scientific consensus that human activities are playing the dominant role in warming the planet. Trump officials placed David Legates , a National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration appointee from the University of Delaware who cast doubt on mainstream climate science findings, into Kuperbergs position. Legates was assisted by Ryan Maue, NOAAs chief scientist , also known for contrarian views on the issue. Biden taps ocean scientist Rick Spinrad to run NOAA During their brief tenure leading the research program, Legates and Maue helped produce documents that challenged the validity of key climate science findings. The papers, which were not peer-reviewed and bore the seal of the Executive Office of the President, angered then-White House science adviser Kelvin Droegemeier, who had not approved the effort. Droegemeier relieved the scientists of their duties , and they resigned from the government days later, just before Bidens inauguration. Kuperberg now faces the challenge of producing the fifth edition of the National Climate Assessment, by the end of 2023, having lost more than six months since his removal. But he said work on the project continued in his absence, and he expressed confidence that it will be completed in time. Were not starting from zero, he said. It is moving forward. Im very pleased with that. Were going to put out a document that we can stand behind and be proud of. One of Kuperbergs first actions will be to find a new person to lead the assessment. Betsy Weatherhead, the atmospheric scientist selected by Droegemeier to lead the report , was reassigned by the Biden White House in April to the U.S. Geological Survey. Kuperberg said hes working with the White House to select Weatherheads replacement. Lawmaker seeks White House explanation for ouster of scientist who led climate review Kuperberg said he wants the next report to build from previous efforts. Early editions of the assessment were thick, hard-copy volumes that have since evolved into rich multimedia websites. He sees the fifth edition as a dynamic resource with customizable data that reach new audiences. Everybody from farmers, transportation managers, energy producers and citizens in small and large cities will face challenges from climate change, he said. We want to put information in their hands to respond to those challenges. Former program officials and agency leaders lauded the Biden administrations decision to bring Kuperberg back. Mike is a humble leader, respected by his agency peers; youd be hard-pressed to identify a civil servant more prepared to steward [the program] in this time, Dave Reidmiller, who led the fourth edition of the climate assessment and is the director of the Climate Center at the Gulf of Maine Research Institute, wrote in an email. He not only has the knowledge of how to get things done through the interagency process, but also a keen understanding of the research needed to underpin aggressive, equitable climate solutions.