Statement From Ken Berlin, President and CEO of The Climate Reality Project, on the Release of the 4th US National Climate Assessment

The Climate Science Special Report and the public comment version of the National Climate Assessment were released today. In August of this year, a draft of the final report was disclosed to The New York Times due to concerns that the Trump Administration would attempt to suppress its contents. The special report examines climate change, its causes, impacts, and the actions necessary to reach current policy goals. Ken Berlin, president and CEO of The Climate Reality Project, released the below statement in response to the report’s release.

“The National Climate Assessment and the Climate Science Special Report affirm everything we already know, and that the Trump Administration has sadly refused to acknowledge – that the climate crisis is real, we are feeling its effects every day, and we need urgent action. 

“In the last weeks and months, so many Americans – from Texas and California to Florida and Puerto Rico – have seen the effects of the climate crisis firsthand. Record-breaking hurricanes and wildfires were stark reminders of our vulnerability to stronger storms driven by a changing climate, and the federal government has an obligation to take steps to protect the American people from future extreme weather events. These scientific reports, written and researched by leading US scientists from NOAA, NASA, and USGS, and reviewed by the National Academy of Sciences, is a critical foundation for creating better policies for climate resilience.

“The National Climate Assessment is only further proof that the Trump Administration can no longer attempt to misrepresent climate science of the country’s highest caliber as ‘fake news.’ The American people deserve to know the truth about the reality staring us square in the face, and I urge the Trump Administration to seriously consider scientists’ findings and the input of the American people.”

ABOUT THE CLIMATE REALITY PROJECT 

Founded by Nobel Laureate and former US Vice President Al Gore, The Climate Reality Project is working to catalyze a global solution to the climate crisis by making urgent action a necessity across every level of society. With a global movement more than 5 million strong and a grassroots network of trained Climate Reality Leader activists, we are spreading the truth about the climate crisis and building popular support for clean energy solutions. For more information, visit www.climaterealityproject.org or follow us on Twitter at @ClimateReality.