BRN 9-3 - Flipbook - Page 32
DOE climate report
'demonstrably
incorrect', say
scientists in new
analysis
This article describes the politicization
of science by the trump administration in one key area of study. That
being, how is it that the human
species continues to survive on this
planet.
lower atmosphere Ñ the troposphere
Ñ and cooling the layer above the
troposphere (the stratosphere). This
canonical ÒÞngerprintÓ of human
effects on climate has been predicted
for over 50 years by simple and more
sophisticated climate models, and is
identiÞable with high conÞdence in
satellite temperature data. A recent
claim to the contrary in a report by the
US Department of Energy is
incorrect.Ó
In ÒModeled and Observed
Stratospheric Temperature Changes:
Implications for Fingerprint StudiesÓ
(AGU Advances, 24 February 2026)
Benjamin Santer, Susan Solomon,
David Thompson, and Qiang Fu note
that the claims made in the trump
administrationÕs Þnding on humaninduced climate change Òis factually
incorrectÓ. The original studies by
Santer et al. (and the studies of
thousands of other honest, knowledgeable, and responsible
researchers) established the fact that
human actions have caused the
temperature of the earthÕs
atmosphere to increase at a faster rate
than it has ever done before.
We have seen political institutions
intervene many times in situations
where science has exposed facts
which are inconvenient for the
political operatives and their owners.
The Catholic Church banned Nicolaus
CopernicusÕ De revolutionibus orbium
coelestium from 1616 to 1835. The
fact that the planets in our solar
system rotated around the sun was
inconvenient for the Church, so the
science was banned. The same
treatment was doled out to Galileo.
There are more than a few individuals
and institutions who would like to
rewrite this history to reßect more
favorably on the institutions, to make
up ÒfactsÓ and make the types of
interpretations you see at recess on
third-grade school yards.
The data in this area are clear, the
standards of analysis are clear, the
2009 endangerment Þnding is based
in fact. ÒFactsÓ and interpretation
made by the trump administration are
not true.
In ÒWhen Facts Become ForbiddenÓ
Douglas Mann (Journal of the
American College of Cardiology,
Volume 10, No. 3, 21 February 2025)
outlines this history of suppression.
He notes:
The trump administration has used
their report to Òreverse the socalled 2009 'endangerment Þnding'
Ñ a ruling that gave it the legal
authority to regulate emissions of
greenhouse gases, for example from
vehicles, power plants and other
industrial sourcesÓ. Agencies, like the
United States Forest Service and the
Bureau of Land Management, have
already moved forward with annulling
environmental regulations and use
requirements based on the facts
presented in the 2009 endangerment
Þnding.
ÒProgress in science relies on open
inquiry, rigorous debate, and the
ability to share Þndings without
undue interference. However,
throughout history, scientiÞc research
has often been subject to suppression,
whether from religious doctrine,
political ideology, or corporate
interests, often with untoward
consequences for public health. More
recently, concerns about the inßuence
of politics on science have resurfaced,
particularly in cases where government agencies are adjusting and
retracting scientiÞc publications.Ó
Santer et al., in their ÒPlain Language
SummaryÓ of their article note:
TroÞm Lysenko, one of StalinÕs
ÒscientistsÓ argued that the genetic
studies of Gregor Mendel were fascist
and Stalin suppressed the use of
MendelÕs concepts in the Soviet
Union. Mann notes that StalinÕs
Òagricultural policies contributed to
ÒHuman-caused changes in carbon
dioxide and stratospheric ozone have
altered the temperature structure of
Earth's atmosphere, warming the
31
agricultural failures and widespread
famine in Russia and China, including
the Great Chinese Famine of 19591961, which occurred after Mao
Zedong adopted Lysenkoist
agricultural methods.Ó
Hitler and the Nazis denounced the
work of Albert Einstein. Responding
to their efforts Einstein quipped Òto
defeat relativity one did not need the
word of 100 scientists, just one fact.Ó
But, of course, there were no facts just ÒfactsÓ (fabrications which were
more convenient).
And so the show goes on, itÕs just that
this many be one of the last times it
happens.
Phoradendron
villosum (Nuttall]
Nuttall ex Engelmann
subsp. coryae
[Trelease] Wiens)
Oak Mistletoe a.k.a.
CoryÕs Mistletoe
In the January 2025 issue of this
journal we noted observations of this
species along NM-152. It is a
common species in our area.
On October 8, 2025, we observed
several specimens which were just
coming into seed (images on the next
page). They were along the Scenic
Trail from the Kingston Cemetery to
Emory Pass.
At the same time, mistletoe seed was
appearing in bird baths in Hillsboro,
brought to the watering stations by
birds of several species.
ÒWhatÕs NewÓ
The newly formatted Black Range
website - still under construction and
still being ÒpopulatedÓ) includes a
ÒblogÓ which is a bit different from
blogs you may be familiar with. It has
a Òtemporal structureÓ not generally
associated with blogs. The blog
entries are focused on the website
and other ÒBlack RangeÓ efforts as
well as natural history observations.
When blog entries are repeated in
publications like this journal or are no
longer relevant they will be deleted
from the blog.
