Trump administration eyes scientist who downplays climate change for top NOAA job
Seriously, who is he? What is his scientific expertise? asked one climate scientist A successor has been named for the position of chief scientist at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), according to reports. Dr Ryan Maue, a meteorologist at a private weather forecasting and consulting company in Atlanta, Georgia, has been tipped to take the top federal position. While Dr Maue acknowledges that human activities have contributed to climate change, on social media and in op-eds, he regularly criticizes climate alarmists" and tough policy measures to tackle the global crisis. He earned his Ph.D in meteorology at Florida State University and was previously an adjunct scholar at the Cato Institute, a think-tank co-founded by billionaire Charles Koch, who made a fortune in the fossil fuel industry . The NOAA posting was first reported by the Washington Pos t. Neither the agency nor the Department of Commerce, which oversees it, responded to a request for comment from The Independent . The meterologist did not respond to an email seeking an interview from The Independent . If he is confirmed after security and ethics reviews, he will replace Craig McLean, who is acting chief scientist at NOAA. The role is consequential, at one of the countrys leading government climate research agencies. The chief scientist oversees climate issues but also water, satellites and modeling. Weather is another issue on the agenda - where he brings expertise in tropical cyclones and hurricanes. However climate scientists expressed concerns that the political appointment would advance the agenda of climate deniers in an administration which has been notoriously anti-science and rolled back dozens of climate and environmental rules. Michael Mann, a distinguished professor of atmospheric sciences at Penn State and National Academy of Sciences member, told The Independent: "At a time when we are witnessing the devastating impacts of climate change-amplified extreme weather events, including wildfires out west and a record hurricane season here back east, it would have previously seemed unimaginable that an administration would appoint an individual with a record of denying and downplaying these impacts to a position of leadership at the very agency tasked with assessing the risks we face from extreme weather events. Dr Maue penned an op-ed for the Wall Street Journal in 2018 with Patrick J. Michaels, a member of the CO2 Coalition, a pro-fossil fuel nonprofit with close ties to the Trump administration. In the piece, they claimed that testimony given by NASA climate scientist James Hansen, who warned a Senate committee more than 30 years ago about the dangers of climate change, had not borne out in reality. On the 30th anniversary of Mr. Hansens galvanizing testimony, its time to acknowledge that the rapid warming he predicted isnt happening. Climate researchers and policy makers should adopt the more modest forecasts that are consistent with observed temperatures, Maue and Michaels wrote in the WSJ . That would be a lukewarm policy, consistent with a lukewarming planet. However Dr Hansens projections, which have faced peer review, have stood up. And according to the 2018 Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Changes (IPCC) Special Report, major policy shifts must be made this decade to curb global warming to 1.5C as beyond which, scientists believe, many changes to earth systems will be irreversible. Dr Maue has also shown that hes not afraid to wade into politics on social media (although a number of tweets now appear to have been deleted from his Twitter feed but are still available in cache mode). He tweeted last week: Biden hits Trump on climate: Western fires foreshadow 'unending barrage of tragedies' Shameless but it's their political strategy to blame Trump for all natural disasters past, present, and future. But hes also shared critiques, albeit more measured, of President Trump. Last year, Mr Trump displayed a forecast map for Hurricane Dorian with what appeared to be a hand-drawn, half-circle that extended the cone of uncertainty over a swath of Alabama after Mr Trump erroneously tweeted that the storm would hit (much) harder than anticipated in the state. Following the bizarre incident, now known as Sharpiegate, Dr Maue told AP that it was important for the presidents tweets to be accurate if he wants to provide helpful information to the public facing a potential emergency. He said the problem with the presidents tweet came from sending out stale information. If hes going to be a provider of up-to-date information, he needs to be up to date, he said. Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies Cato Institute Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Premium subscription today. Log in New to The Independent? Or if you would prefer: Want an ad-free experience? Hi {{indy.fullName}}