The Biden administration has removed Trump-appointed atmospheric scientist Betsy Weatherhead from her oversight role in a comprehensive report on how climate change affects the United States, the Washington Post reported Monday.
Why it’s important: Weatherhead has not been fired, simply reassigned to the U.S. Geological Survey, the move represents an effort by the Biden administration to eliminate Trump-designated scientific charges, according to CNN.
Note: The measure could lead to further delays in the next edition of the National Climate Assessment, which is required by Congress to occur every four years.
The big picture: The original appointment of Weatherhead to the post in November came as a surprise as she is a leading climate scientist, whose work reflects that climate change is a serious threat, unlike some others appointed by Trump.
- However, Weatherhead allegedly clashed with some of the other officials involved over the “direction of the report,” according to the Post.
What they say: Jane Lubchenco, a senior White House climate official who eventually oversaw Weatherhead in her position, told Axios in an interview Monday that the White House is committed to producing a “robust” and “effective” assessment.
- “All I can say is that Dr. Weatherhead’s details are over, she’s back at the USGS, her home agency,” Lubchenco, who acts as deputy director of climate and environment at the Office of Science Policy and Technological. dit. “We are very grateful to you for your service.”
- Lubchenco left open the possibility that the next evaluation, currently scheduled for 2023, may suffer further delays. “We will do our best to meet the schedule, but I guess it remains to be seen,” he said.
Flashback: The latest climate assessment, published in 2018, warned of increasingly damaging climate impacts in the US, increasing the possibility of severe economic damage in the coming decades.
Editor’s Note: This article has been updated with Lubchenco’s comment.