The Trump administration has reportedly buried reports warning that climate change will harm crops and cause health problems
- The Trump administration has buried dozens of studies by the US Department of Agriculture assessing the effects of climate change, Politico reported.
- The studies are said to assess the impact of rising temperatures, increased carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, and volatile weather on agriculture.
- "The intent is to try to suppress a message—in this case, the increasing danger of human-caused climate change," Michael Mann, a leading climate scientist at Pennsylvania State University, told the outlet.
- The Trump administration in May moved to prevent the National Climate Assessment from describing in its reports worst-case scenarios on the damage from climate change.
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The Trump administration has buried dozens of studies by the US Department of Agriculture warning that climate change will impact US farming in coming decades, Politico reported Sunday.
The studies assessed the impact of rising temperatures, increased carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, and volatile weather on agriculture rather than being focused on the causes of global warming, Politico said.
The outlet reports that scientists used the studies to warn of the consequences including increased carbon dioxide levels making rice less nutritious, and, separately, an extended allergy season.
According to the report, the studies have been kept off the department's website and have not been publicized.
"The intent is to try to suppress a message—in this case, the increasing danger of human-caused climate change," Michael Mann, a leading climate scientist at Pennsylvania State University, told the outlet.
Agriculture secretary Sonny Perdue has in the past denied climate change. In a 2014 article he wrote that "snowstorms, hurricanes, and tornadoes have been around since the beginning of time, but now they want us to accept that all of it is the result of climate change."
A spokesman for the department denied to Politico that climate science reports had been suppressed.
"Research continues on these subjects and we promote the research once researchers are ready to announce the findings, after going through the appropriate reviews and clearances," a spokesperson told Politico.
President Trump has also expressed doubts about the reality of climate change, and his administration has moved to stifle federal government reports on the impact of climate change.
In May the administration acted to prevent the National Climate Assessment — which is produced by 13 federal government agencies – from describing worst-case scenarios on the consequences of climate change in its reports.