Dozens of scientists cite errors in Energy Department climate change report

More than 85 scientists are taking issue with a climate change report released by the Department of Energy that experts claim is fraught with errors and misrepresentations about climate science.

The Department of Energy's 151-page report, "A Critical Review of Impacts of Greenhouse Gas Emissions on the U.S. Climate," was written by the DOE’s Climate Working Group, which is made up of four scientists and one economist who have all questioned whether climate change is a large threat to the world. 

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These five members of the climate working group who authored the report, were selected by Energy Secretary Chris Wright, a former fossil fuel executive. 

In one excerpt from the DOE report, the authors write: "Climate change is real, and it deserves attention. But it is not the greatest threat facing humanity." The authors acknowledge that climate change is a "challenge—not a catastrophe" adding that "misguided policies based on fear rather than facts could truly endanger human well-being." 

Climate scientists release review challenging Energy Department’s report

Why you should care:

An international group of over 85 climate scientists published a 439-page review where they argue that the Department of Energy’s climate report misrepresents facts about climate science.

The climate experts refute the Department of Energy’s climate report, where the authors claim that there is no evidence of intense "meteorological" drought in the U.S. or worldwide, referring to droughts with low rainfall. 

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Climate scientists explain in their review that higher temperatures and more evaporation can lead to droughts, referencing other published studies that acknowledge how climate change has intensified droughts.

Separately, the group of scientists also discovered several areas in the Department of Energy's report where the authors selected or distorted climate science in the report. 

In one example, climate scientists contend that the DOE’s findings infer that rising carbon dioxide can be a "net benefit" to U.S. agriculture, but say that the authors of the report neglect to mention the negative impacts of more heat and climate-change-fueled extreme weather events on crops.

NPR reported that the scientists submitted their review of the DOE’s Climate Working Group report to the Federal Register as part of the DOE's 30-day open-comment period.

The scientists' review of the DOE report comes after environmental groups and independent scientists sued the Department of Energy over their report. The groups in their lawsuit state that the way the DOE’s report is written and created violates transparency laws.