Trump picks climate consensus critic Matthew Wielicki to lead federal climate program

Summary

Matthew Wielicki, a former geochemist who has built a following online by pushing back against what he calls 'climate alarmism,' will now oversee the U.S. Global Change Research Program, the federal body responsible for producing the National Climate Assessment. The appointment is notable for what Wielicki lacks as much as what he brings: formal training in climate science is not part of his background. He describes himself on social media as an 'Earth science professor-in-exile,' and he has made videos for PragerU, the conservative media nonprofit, criticizing mainstream climate science. The Global Change Research Program coordinates climate research across thirteen federal agencies and publishes the National Climate Assessment, a congressionally mandated report used by policymakers, planners, and insurers to understand how climate change is reshaping American life. The program was already operating in a diminished state before Wielicki's appointment, having seen significant staff and budget cuts during Trump's second term. Wielicki's selection fits a pattern of the administration placing skeptics of scientific consensus into positions that shape what the federal government officially says about climate risk.