WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:03.439 Welcome to Meteorology Matters. We're going to 00:00:03.439 --> 00:00:06.839 navigate through some, well, some really powerful 00:00:06.839 --> 00:00:10.300 forces that shape our lives often unseen. That's 00:00:10.300 --> 00:00:13.060 right. Today, we're not just talking about weather 00:00:13.060 --> 00:00:15.019 patterns, you know, the things meteorologists 00:00:15.019 --> 00:00:18.199 track day in, day out. We're looking at something 00:00:18.199 --> 00:00:20.960 else, the huge impact policy decisions can have, 00:00:21.379 --> 00:00:23.579 especially on the agencies, the ones we rely 00:00:23.579 --> 00:00:26.079 on for our safety or well -being. Yeah, and it's 00:00:26.079 --> 00:00:28.140 fascinating, isn't it, how these, like, distant 00:00:28.140 --> 00:00:30.699 policy shifts can hit home almost immediately. 00:00:31.179 --> 00:00:33.399 Real -world consequences. Exactly. We're going 00:00:33.399 --> 00:00:35.619 to dive deep into that today. So we'll be looking 00:00:35.619 --> 00:00:37.759 at the critical challenges facing some really 00:00:37.759 --> 00:00:40.950 vital organizations. scientific ones, emergency 00:00:40.950 --> 00:00:43.229 response groups. We're going to try and unpack 00:00:43.229 --> 00:00:46.009 what actually happens when experienced people 00:00:46.009 --> 00:00:48.649 are suddenly out of crucial roles and how that 00:00:48.649 --> 00:00:51.090 ripples out, how it directly hits public safety. 00:00:51.469 --> 00:00:53.469 It makes you wonder, what's the real cost? Not 00:00:53.469 --> 00:00:56.149 just dollars and cents, but the cost when science, 00:00:56.289 --> 00:00:58.789 when expertise is under pressure. Absolutely. 00:00:58.950 --> 00:01:02.030 And we'll also look at the broader picture. These 00:01:02.030 --> 00:01:04.969 actions that critics are calling attacks on scientific 00:01:04.969 --> 00:01:08.230 integrity. particularly around climate information 00:01:08.230 --> 00:01:11.750 and environmental protection. It's got profound 00:01:11.750 --> 00:01:14.450 implications. Okay, let's start with the National 00:01:14.450 --> 00:01:16.609 Weather Service. I mean, absolutely critical, 00:01:16.769 --> 00:01:19.790 right? Daily forecasts, severe weather warnings, 00:01:20.310 --> 00:01:22.569 everything. It would be more critical. Reports 00:01:22.569 --> 00:01:25.049 lately have highlighted some really big personnel 00:01:25.049 --> 00:01:28.390 changes there. So, what did those changes actually 00:01:28.390 --> 00:01:30.549 look like? What's the immediate impact? Well, 00:01:30.689 --> 00:01:33.519 the scale is, it's pretty significant. based 00:01:33.519 --> 00:01:35.879 on the reports. The National Weather Service 00:01:35.879 --> 00:01:40.000 lost over 500 employees earlier this year. 500? 00:01:40.260 --> 00:01:42.640 Wow. Yeah. And that was linked directly to some 00:01:42.640 --> 00:01:44.900 de -federal cuts. And look, that's not just a 00:01:44.900 --> 00:01:47.260 number on a page. It means critical vacancies, 00:01:47.819 --> 00:01:49.819 empty desks, and really important positions all 00:01:49.819 --> 00:01:51.659 across the country. And these weren't just like 00:01:51.659 --> 00:01:54.060 entry -level jobs being cut, were they? No, absolutely 00:01:54.060 --> 00:01:55.959 not. These are vital roles. I mean, think about 00:01:55.959 --> 00:01:58.560 the Bay Area office in Monterey. That's a key 00:01:58.560 --> 00:02:00.959 core casting hub. Right. Huge population relies 00:02:00.959 --> 00:02:03.519 on them. Exactly. And they saw the termination 00:02:03.519 --> 00:02:05.879 of a meteorologist, an administrative support 00:02:05.879 --> 00:02:09.879 person, and a facilities tech. Now, okay, these 00:02:09.879 --> 00:02:12.199 folks might have been relatively new, but losing 00:02:12.199 --> 00:02:14.680 them suddenly, that's an immediate hit to capacity. 00:02:14.939 --> 00:02:17.080 And the way it happened sounds disruptive too. 00:02:17.280 --> 00:02:19.360 Yeah, apparently they were notified even before 00:02:19.360 --> 00:02:22.240 their supervisors knew. Yeah. That causes ripples 00:02:22.240 --> 00:02:25.159 internally, you know? For sure. And then you've 00:02:25.159 --> 00:02:27.340 got the Center Weather Service Unit in Oakland. 00:02:28.239 --> 00:02:30.840 based in Fremont, vital for air traffic control. 00:02:30.900 --> 00:02:32.979 Okay, yeah, flight safety. Huge implications. 00:02:33.599 --> 00:02:36.000 After one forecaster retired there, the whole 00:02:36.000 --> 00:02:38.479 unit was down to a single full -time meteorologist. 00:02:38.620 --> 00:02:41.520 One person for the Bay Area's air traffic. One 00:02:41.520 --> 00:02:44.439 person. And get this, they already had two vacancies 00:02:44.439 --> 00:02:46.539 before a federal hiring freeze kicked in back 00:02:46.539 --> 00:02:50.020 in January. Wow. That's stretched incredibly 00:02:50.020 --> 00:02:51.979 thin. It shows how these high -level decisions, 00:02:52.240 --> 00:02:54.740 these freezes and cuts, they hit the ground immediately. 00:02:55.099 --> 00:02:57.979 Real people, real operations. real consequences. 00:02:58.479 --> 00:02:59.879 So, okay, let's talk about those consequences. 00:03:00.080 --> 00:03:02.159 For the people left behind trying to pick up 00:03:02.159 --> 00:03:05.159 the slack, what's the human cost? And for us, 00:03:05.560 --> 00:03:09.020 the public. Oh, the human cost is immense, according 00:03:09.020 --> 00:03:12.360 to the union folks. That one meteorologist in 00:03:12.360 --> 00:03:15.080 Fremont, yeah, working incredible amounts of 00:03:15.080 --> 00:03:18.159 overtime, double shifts, sometimes like 16 hour 00:03:18.159 --> 00:03:21.569 days, just trying to keep up with the demands 00:03:21.569 --> 00:03:24.870 of that massive complex airspace. That's unbelievable 00:03:24.870 --> 00:03:27.189 pressure. The union steward called it pretty 00:03:27.189 --> 00:03:29.229 daunting and that feels like an understatement. 00:03:30.030 --> 00:03:33.539 And it's not just that one office. Other meteorologists 00:03:33.539 --> 00:03:35.479 are being shuffled around the country. Short 00:03:35.479 --> 00:03:38.039 -term assignments, just plugging critical gaps. 00:03:38.219 --> 00:03:41.860 So constantly moving, stressed. Exactly. Adds 00:03:41.860 --> 00:03:44.020 personal stress, obviously. But it also makes 00:03:44.020 --> 00:03:45.860 it harder to get familiar with local weather 00:03:45.860 --> 00:03:48.520 quirks, which is so important for good regional 00:03:48.520 --> 00:03:50.939 forecasting. Right. You lose that local knowledge. 00:03:51.340 --> 00:03:53.780 And what about the practical, sort of measurable 00:03:53.780 --> 00:03:56.400 impacts on daily operations for the Weather Service? 00:03:56.639 --> 00:03:59.240 Well, beyond the stress on individuals, the agency's 00:03:59.240 --> 00:04:02.219 overall capacity took some serious hits. Tangible 00:04:02.219 --> 00:04:04.800 stuff. For the first time ever, some offices 00:04:04.800 --> 00:04:07.159 reportedly couldn't operate overnight. Overnight. 00:04:07.400 --> 00:04:10.599 But weather happens 24 -7. Exactly. That's a 00:04:10.599 --> 00:04:13.460 huge concern. Weather changes fast. Warnings 00:04:13.460 --> 00:04:16.339 might be needed anytime. And we also saw reports 00:04:16.339 --> 00:04:18.759 that some places cut back on daily weather balloon 00:04:18.759 --> 00:04:20.959 launches. Weather balloons. Aren't those fundamental? 00:04:21.060 --> 00:04:23.360 Absolutely fundamental. They gather the atmospheric 00:04:23.360 --> 00:04:26.139 data, the raw input that feeds our best weather 00:04:26.139 --> 00:04:29.350 models. Without that data. Forecast accuracy 00:04:29.350 --> 00:04:32.949 suffers. It can, significantly. And maybe the 00:04:32.949 --> 00:04:36.209 most concerning thing from the reports. Key leadership 00:04:36.209 --> 00:04:40.230 roles in flash flood hotspots remained unfilled. 00:04:40.490 --> 00:04:42.810 In flash flood hotspots? That sounds incredibly 00:04:42.810 --> 00:04:45.269 dangerous. It's a direct risk. These are areas 00:04:45.269 --> 00:04:48.629 prone to sudden, deadly floods. Having leadership 00:04:48.629 --> 00:04:50.930 gaps there, it affects the whole chain. from 00:04:50.930 --> 00:04:53.009 forecasting to coordinating the public safety 00:04:53.009 --> 00:04:55.230 response. It sounds like just a massive disruption. 00:04:55.569 --> 00:04:57.269 So, okay, they're talking about rehiring now. 00:04:57.550 --> 00:04:59.930 But what's the true cost here? We hear about 00:04:59.930 --> 00:05:02.269 budget cuts saving money, but letting experienced 00:05:02.269 --> 00:05:04.970 people go, then hiring and training new ones. 00:05:05.829 --> 00:05:07.550 That sounds like it could cost more in the long 00:05:07.550 --> 00:05:10.230 run, doesn't it? Inefficiency, capacity. That's 00:05:10.230 --> 00:05:12.290 a crucial point. You're hitting on this idea 00:05:12.290 --> 00:05:15.310 like a false economy. And it's not just us asking. 00:05:15.750 --> 00:05:18.529 An official from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric 00:05:18.529 --> 00:05:20.889 Administration, that's the agency overseeing 00:05:20.889 --> 00:05:25.329 the Weather Service, NOAA, they actually voiced 00:05:25.329 --> 00:05:28.310 this exact concern. Oh, really? Yeah, asking 00:05:28.310 --> 00:05:31.149 basically, how much time and money will it cost 00:05:31.149 --> 00:05:33.790 to train new people when we already had trained 00:05:33.790 --> 00:05:36.750 people? Right. It highlights those hidden costs. 00:05:37.000 --> 00:05:40.279 It's not just the new salary. It's the lost productivity 00:05:40.279 --> 00:05:43.860 while someone trains. That takes months, sometimes 00:05:43.860 --> 00:05:46.019 longer, to get up to speed. And the experience 00:05:46.019 --> 00:05:48.699 lost. Exactly. That institutional knowledge, 00:05:49.000 --> 00:05:52.480 that gut feeling built over years, it's invaluable, 00:05:52.560 --> 00:05:54.379 and it walks out the door. So even if they can 00:05:54.379 --> 00:05:56.639 hire faster now. Right. They've got direct hiring 00:05:56.639 --> 00:05:58.500 authority, which helps speed things up a bit. 00:05:58.819 --> 00:06:01.449 But federal hiring is still, well... Still a 00:06:01.449 --> 00:06:03.370 process. It takes months. So the gaps remain 00:06:03.370 --> 00:06:05.610 for a while. Yeah. Continued gaps, continued 00:06:05.610 --> 00:06:08.250 burdens on the staff who are still there. Any 00:06:08.250 --> 00:06:10.670 short -term savings from the cuts, they get eaten 00:06:10.670 --> 00:06:12.889 up by this long -term inefficiency and ongoing 00:06:12.889 --> 00:06:15.649 vulnerability. It's a real cost. So the positive 00:06:15.649 --> 00:06:18.230 news about hiring authority is good, but it doesn't 00:06:18.230 --> 00:06:21.189 erase the impact of those cuts. The effects linger. 00:06:21.529 --> 00:06:24.120 Precisely. The union's legislative director pointed 00:06:24.120 --> 00:06:27.720 out there could be up to 770 empty positions 00:06:27.720 --> 00:06:30.579 across the board. 770? Yeah, meteorologists, 00:06:30.839 --> 00:06:33.480 hydrologists, scientists, electronics techs. 00:06:33.980 --> 00:06:37.139 It's widespread. Now, NOAA has permission to 00:06:37.139 --> 00:06:41.639 hire for 450 critical jobs. That could potentially 00:06:41.639 --> 00:06:43.980 restore most of the positions lost in those initial 00:06:43.980 --> 00:06:46.060 cuts. Okay, that sounds better. It is better, 00:06:46.339 --> 00:06:48.579 but the time, the effort, the resources needed 00:06:48.579 --> 00:06:50.699 to get all those new people fully trained and 00:06:50.699 --> 00:06:54.180 integrated. That's a huge often overlooked cost. 00:06:54.319 --> 00:06:56.259 It's not just filling slots on an org chart. 00:06:56.480 --> 00:06:59.899 It's rebuilding expertise Rebuilding that smooth 00:06:59.899 --> 00:07:02.879 operational flow that got disrupted. So there's 00:07:02.879 --> 00:07:04.879 likely a sustained period where the agency just 00:07:04.879 --> 00:07:07.360 isn't operating at 100 % That's the concern and 00:07:07.360 --> 00:07:09.439 that affects everything for the nuances in your 00:07:09.439 --> 00:07:12.300 daily forecast to the critical timing and accuracy 00:07:12.300 --> 00:07:15.019 of severe weather warnings Okay, so for you listening 00:07:15.019 --> 00:07:17.399 right now, why does all this bureaucratic stuff 00:07:17.399 --> 00:07:19.740 these staffing numbers? Why does it matter so 00:07:19.740 --> 00:07:22.449 deeply to your everyday? life, your safety. Look, 00:07:22.589 --> 00:07:25.449 connecting the dots here, the stakes for public 00:07:25.449 --> 00:07:28.230 safety are incredibly high. Just think about 00:07:28.230 --> 00:07:31.670 this year alone. We've seen devastating wildfires 00:07:31.670 --> 00:07:34.649 in California, right? Multiple destructive tornado 00:07:34.649 --> 00:07:38.029 outbreaks across the country. Severe hailstorms 00:07:38.029 --> 00:07:40.470 causing massive damage. It feels relentless sometimes. 00:07:40.629 --> 00:07:43.509 It does. And meteorologists have actually voiced 00:07:43.509 --> 00:07:46.810 concerns, serious concerns, that they might struggle 00:07:46.810 --> 00:07:49.189 to accurately forecast hurricanes this year. 00:07:49.589 --> 00:07:52.540 Hurricanes? with staffing and data issues. Yeah, 00:07:52.699 --> 00:07:54.839 precisely because of staff losses and potential 00:07:54.839 --> 00:07:57.000 data gaps. And we're heading into the peak part 00:07:57.000 --> 00:07:59.519 of the Atlantic hurricane season now, which is 00:07:59.519 --> 00:08:01.779 historically the most dangerous time. That's 00:08:01.779 --> 00:08:04.459 deeply worrying. And remember those deadly Texas 00:08:04.459 --> 00:08:07.920 floods earlier this year? Over 130 lives lost. 00:08:08.300 --> 00:08:10.379 Horrifying. The National Weather Service did 00:08:10.379 --> 00:08:12.680 issue increasingly urgent warnings ahead of that. 00:08:13.540 --> 00:08:15.339 But warnings are only one part of the equation. 00:08:15.740 --> 00:08:17.819 The ability to translate those warnings into 00:08:17.819 --> 00:08:20.420 effective action on the ground. emergency management, 00:08:20.779 --> 00:08:23.360 evacuations, rescues that depends entirely on 00:08:23.360 --> 00:08:25.740 a system that's adequately staffed and resourced. 00:08:25.899 --> 00:08:27.980 From the forecasters to the emergency managers. 00:08:28.339 --> 00:08:31.459 The whole chain. And those unfilled leadership 00:08:31.459 --> 00:08:34.320 jobs in flash flood zones we talked about. That's 00:08:34.320 --> 00:08:37.799 a perfect, terrifying example of how a vulnerability 00:08:37.799 --> 00:08:40.360 in the system caused by these staffing issues 00:08:40.360 --> 00:08:42.879 creates a direct risk to people's lives. OK, 00:08:43.019 --> 00:08:47.080 moving beyond forecasting. These policy effects, 00:08:47.100 --> 00:08:49.620 they've also shown up in disaster response, right? 00:08:49.759 --> 00:08:51.840 Particularly with FEMA, the Federal Emergency 00:08:51.840 --> 00:08:54.480 Management Agency. What happened after those 00:08:54.480 --> 00:08:57.139 Texas floods you just mentioned? Yeah, this is 00:08:57.139 --> 00:08:58.700 where it gets really concerning on the response 00:08:58.700 --> 00:09:01.720 side. In the week right after those flash floods 00:09:01.720 --> 00:09:04.879 ripped through Texas Hill Country, most survivors, 00:09:05.000 --> 00:09:06.919 people who'd lost everything, they literally 00:09:06.919 --> 00:09:08.759 could not get through to the federal aid hotline. 00:09:08.840 --> 00:09:10.679 Couldn't get through. to the main helpline. Couldn't 00:09:10.679 --> 00:09:13.019 get through. And it wasn't just busy lines, public 00:09:13.019 --> 00:09:15.679 contract records, internal FEMA call logs. They 00:09:15.679 --> 00:09:17.700 indicate that the Department of Homeland Security 00:09:17.700 --> 00:09:19.940 actually allowed the funding for those critical 00:09:19.940 --> 00:09:22.659 call centers to lapse. The funding lapsed right 00:09:22.659 --> 00:09:26.870 after a major disaster. Right after. It wasn't 00:09:26.870 --> 00:09:29.789 just a technical glitch. It was a fundamental 00:09:29.789 --> 00:09:32.409 breakdown in the immediate federal help system, 00:09:32.870 --> 00:09:35.350 leaving people stranded when they were most desperate. 00:09:35.789 --> 00:09:38.370 How on earth could that happen? A funding lapse 00:09:38.370 --> 00:09:41.509 for a disaster hotline. What does that tell us 00:09:41.509 --> 00:09:43.750 about these administrative bottlenecks and their 00:09:43.750 --> 00:09:46.809 real human cost? Well, it really highlights how 00:09:46.809 --> 00:09:49.870 these administrative changes can have devastating 00:09:49.870 --> 00:09:53.149 real -world impacts. There was a policy shift. 00:09:54.110 --> 00:09:56.470 The Homeland Security Secretary, Christine Noem, 00:09:56.750 --> 00:09:58.769 personally has to sign off on funding requests 00:09:58.769 --> 00:10:02.889 over $100 ,000. OK. Before, the FEMA administrator 00:10:02.889 --> 00:10:05.309 usually had that authority for larger amounts, 00:10:05.590 --> 00:10:07.889 allowing for faster action in a crisis. So an 00:10:07.889 --> 00:10:09.850 extra layer of approval. An extra layer, creating 00:10:09.850 --> 00:10:12.330 a bottleneck right when speed is essential. FEMA 00:10:12.330 --> 00:10:14.509 usually renews these big, multi -million dollar 00:10:14.509 --> 00:10:16.750 monthly contracts with the private companies 00:10:16.750 --> 00:10:18.529 running the call centers well ahead of time. 00:10:18.710 --> 00:10:21.049 Standard procedure, you'd think. Right. But this 00:10:21.049 --> 00:10:23.710 time, the funding lapsed the day after the July 00:10:23.710 --> 00:10:26.750 4th floods hit. Day after. Yeah. And then it 00:10:26.750 --> 00:10:29.250 took another five days, five agonizing days for 00:10:29.250 --> 00:10:30.870 people trying to get help for the money to actually 00:10:30.870 --> 00:10:34.350 come through. That gap happened precisely when 00:10:34.350 --> 00:10:36.649 the hotline was swamped, when people needed aid 00:10:36.649 --> 00:10:40.269 most urgently. Five days without full funding 00:10:40.269 --> 00:10:42.850 for the hotline while people are dealing with 00:10:42.850 --> 00:10:45.850 catastrophic flooding. What did that mean practically? 00:10:46.029 --> 00:10:48.509 What did the report say about the impact on survivors? 00:10:48.610 --> 00:10:51.629 Okay, get this. Over that five day stretch, July 00:10:51.629 --> 00:10:54.690 6th to 10th, the FUMA call centers only managed 00:10:54.690 --> 00:10:58.190 to answer about 15 ,000 calls. 15 ,000? Out of 00:10:58.190 --> 00:11:01.090 how many? Out of roughly 55 ,000 calls that came 00:11:01.090 --> 00:11:03.690 in from survivors. Wow. So only about a quarter 00:11:03.690 --> 00:11:05.970 got answered. Roughly, yeah. And to give you 00:11:05.970 --> 00:11:08.539 some perspective, After Hurricane Helene last 00:11:08.539 --> 00:11:11.360 year, a major storm FEMA call centers were consistently 00:11:11.360 --> 00:11:13.580 answering between 50 and 70 percent of calls. 00:11:13.639 --> 00:11:16.179 So this was way, way worse. Dramatically worse. 00:11:16.480 --> 00:11:18.299 Yeah. Survivors reported waiting over 90 minutes 00:11:18.299 --> 00:11:20.500 just to get through, off to getting disconnected 00:11:20.500 --> 00:11:23.080 anyway. The service level just plummeted. It 00:11:23.080 --> 00:11:25.120 went from nearly 100 percent of calls answered 00:11:25.120 --> 00:11:28.240 before hangup down to only 20 percent. 20 percent. 00:11:28.379 --> 00:11:30.919 Imagine being that survivor. You've lost your 00:11:30.919 --> 00:11:33.100 home, maybe more. You're trying to reach the 00:11:33.100 --> 00:11:35.139 one agency supposed to help and you just hit 00:11:35.139 --> 00:11:39.440 a wall. Endless waits. Busy signals. That's the 00:11:39.440 --> 00:11:42.559 human cost. It's brutal. It's staggering. So 00:11:42.559 --> 00:11:45.320 how did FEMA officially explain this? Especially 00:11:45.320 --> 00:11:47.600 given those internal numbers showing such a massive 00:11:47.600 --> 00:11:49.440 failure, this sounds like they tried to spin 00:11:49.440 --> 00:11:52.370 it. Well, the official statement given to NPR 00:11:52.370 --> 00:11:55.289 by a FEMA spokesperson was, and I'm paraphrasing 00:11:55.289 --> 00:11:59.009 slightly, disasters cause call surges, wait times 00:11:59.009 --> 00:12:02.389 increase. But FEMA responded swiftly and efficiently, 00:12:02.889 --> 00:12:05.450 ensuring everyone got assistance. Swiftly and 00:12:05.450 --> 00:12:07.610 efficiently, ensuring everyone got assistance. 00:12:07.710 --> 00:12:10.679 That sounds... completely at odds with the data. 00:12:10.879 --> 00:12:13.100 It directly contradicts the internal call logs 00:12:13.100 --> 00:12:15.659 we just discussed. And it also contradicts a 00:12:15.659 --> 00:12:17.779 memo from FEMA's own acting administrator at 00:12:17.779 --> 00:12:19.740 the time, David Richardson. An internal memo. 00:12:19.940 --> 00:12:22.720 Yes. That memo explicitly acknowledged the severe 00:12:22.720 --> 00:12:24.759 problems caused by the delay and specifically 00:12:24.759 --> 00:12:27.759 stated the contract was on hold. On hold. So 00:12:27.759 --> 00:12:29.679 the public statement and the internal reality 00:12:29.679 --> 00:12:32.200 were two very different things. Completely different. 00:12:32.419 --> 00:12:35.480 And that raises huge questions about transparency, 00:12:35.720 --> 00:12:38.299 about accountability, especially during a crisis 00:12:38.299 --> 00:12:40.720 when people need reliable information. Which 00:12:40.720 --> 00:12:43.940 brings us back to accountability. What do the 00:12:43.940 --> 00:12:46.559 sources say about the deeper reasons for these 00:12:46.559 --> 00:12:48.799 contradictory statements? What's going on here? 00:12:49.399 --> 00:12:51.419 Well, it digs into that issue of public trust, 00:12:51.559 --> 00:12:54.680 doesn't it? How information is managed. During 00:12:54.680 --> 00:12:57.279 testimony before a House subcommittee, Richardson 00:12:57.279 --> 00:13:00.500 was asked specifically about July 7th that day 00:13:00.500 --> 00:13:02.899 when only 10 % of calls got answered. Right, 00:13:03.139 --> 00:13:06.200 the worst day. He stated, quote, the majority 00:13:06.200 --> 00:13:07.980 of the calls were answered at the call centers 00:13:07.980 --> 00:13:11.059 and insisted there was never a lapse in contract. 00:13:11.309 --> 00:13:14.309 But the funding did lapse, even if the overarching 00:13:14.309 --> 00:13:17.850 contract didn't. Exactly. Experts, like a former 00:13:17.850 --> 00:13:20.029 senior contracting officer Christopher Byrne, 00:13:20.330 --> 00:13:22.850 explain this distinction. The main contract with 00:13:22.850 --> 00:13:25.669 the vendors didn't technically expire, but the 00:13:25.669 --> 00:13:27.730 funding task order for the actual call center 00:13:27.730 --> 00:13:30.730 work did lapse. So no money, no work. Pretty 00:13:30.730 --> 00:13:33.470 much. Without the funding flowing, the call centers 00:13:33.470 --> 00:13:36.049 effectively stopped functioning properly. And 00:13:36.049 --> 00:13:38.529 Richardson's own memo from July 10th confirms 00:13:38.529 --> 00:13:40.679 this. The same memo you mentioned earlier? The 00:13:40.679 --> 00:13:44.340 very same one signed by him. It requested approval 00:13:44.340 --> 00:13:47.440 for the call center funding and explicitly said 00:13:47.440 --> 00:13:50.759 the contract was placed on hold on July 5, 2025 00:13:50.759 --> 00:13:54.059 and is needed immediately. Wow. So the internal 00:13:54.059 --> 00:13:56.559 documents clearly show there was a hold, a funding 00:13:56.559 --> 00:13:59.639 lapse, that stopped the work, directly contradicting 00:13:59.639 --> 00:14:01.960 the public testimony. It seems that way. It points 00:14:01.960 --> 00:14:04.279 towards maybe prioritizing technical language 00:14:04.279 --> 00:14:06.759 over the operational reality that people were 00:14:06.759 --> 00:14:08.480 experiencing. So this doesn't sound like just 00:14:08.480 --> 00:14:10.379 a one -time mistake, then. It sounds more like 00:14:10.379 --> 00:14:12.860 a systemic problem, adding to the true cost through 00:14:12.860 --> 00:14:15.100 risk and inefficiency. No, it really does seem 00:14:15.100 --> 00:14:18.620 to reflect a deeper, ongoing issue. and one that 00:14:18.620 --> 00:14:21.000 carries significant costs, not necessarily in 00:14:21.000 --> 00:14:23.659 budget savings, but in increased risk and reduced 00:14:23.659 --> 00:14:27.379 capacity for FEMA. Consider this. The funding 00:14:27.379 --> 00:14:29.259 for these crucial call centers is apparently 00:14:29.259 --> 00:14:31.860 set up to expire every 30 days. Every month. 00:14:31.919 --> 00:14:33.659 They have to re -approve it. Every single month. 00:14:34.000 --> 00:14:36.139 Which, according to one FEMA staffer, creates 00:14:36.139 --> 00:14:39.220 a crazy workload just constantly chasing these 00:14:39.220 --> 00:14:42.159 renewals under that new, higher -level approval 00:14:42.159 --> 00:14:44.519 process. That sounds incredibly inefficient. 00:14:44.750 --> 00:14:48.090 hugely inefficient. And remember, this is happening 00:14:48.090 --> 00:14:51.669 while FEMA has also lost thousands of staff layoffs, 00:14:52.129 --> 00:14:54.309 retirements, resignations over the last few years. 00:14:54.929 --> 00:14:57.490 Reports show a significant drop in their workforce. 00:14:57.590 --> 00:15:00.330 So fewer people trying to navigate a more cumbersome 00:15:00.330 --> 00:15:02.610 process. Exactly. And this is happening against 00:15:02.610 --> 00:15:05.230 a backdrop where some officials have even suggested 00:15:05.230 --> 00:15:08.429 FEMA should be eliminated entirely. Really? Eliminate 00:15:08.429 --> 00:15:10.990 FEMA. That has been stated. And as of early August, 00:15:11.210 --> 00:15:13.450 the funding for those call centers was apparently 00:15:13.450 --> 00:15:15.950 set to expire again just two days later with 00:15:15.950 --> 00:15:18.070 no new approval visible in the public system. 00:15:18.470 --> 00:15:21.710 Constant uncertainty. Constant uncertainty. Severe 00:15:21.710 --> 00:15:24.529 understaffing. Yeah. It creates, as a county 00:15:24.529 --> 00:15:26.110 commissioner down in Harris County, Texas put 00:15:26.110 --> 00:15:28.850 it on social media, an agency that's understaffed 00:15:28.850 --> 00:15:31.639 and under -resourced. That's a dangerous situation 00:15:31.639 --> 00:15:33.860 for communities facing disasters. The ripple 00:15:33.860 --> 00:15:36.360 effects are real. OK, let's shift gears slightly 00:15:36.360 --> 00:15:38.860 away from immediate response, but still very 00:15:38.860 --> 00:15:42.019 much about policy impacts. There's a major legal 00:15:42.019 --> 00:15:44.580 fight brewing over environmental programs, right? 00:15:44.919 --> 00:15:46.559 What's happening with the Environmental Protection 00:15:46.559 --> 00:15:49.019 Agency, the EPA? Yeah, this is quite significant. 00:15:49.440 --> 00:15:51.480 We're seeing what's described as a first of its 00:15:51.480 --> 00:15:54.259 kind proposed class action lawsuit filed against 00:15:54.259 --> 00:15:57.340 the EPA and its administrator, Lee Zeldin. A 00:15:57.340 --> 00:15:59.899 class action suit. What prompted it? It stems 00:15:59.899 --> 00:16:01.740 directly from the administration's decision, 00:16:01.799 --> 00:16:05.600 which drew a lot of criticism to just abruptly 00:16:05.600 --> 00:16:08.659 terminate an entire three billion dollar program. 00:16:08.799 --> 00:16:11.080 Three billion. What program was it? The environmental 00:16:11.080 --> 00:16:14.120 and climate justice block grant program. Environmental 00:16:14.120 --> 00:16:16.580 and climate justice. OK, what was that program 00:16:16.580 --> 00:16:19.000 designed to do? Who was it helping? Well, this 00:16:19.000 --> 00:16:21.000 program wasn't just dreamt up by the agency. 00:16:21.139 --> 00:16:23.779 It was specifically created by Congress. Ah, 00:16:23.840 --> 00:16:27.539 OK. A legislative mandate? Yes. Through the 2022 00:16:27.539 --> 00:16:30.710 Inflation Reduction Act. Its whole purpose was 00:16:30.710 --> 00:16:33.450 to help hundreds of communities across the U 00:16:33.450 --> 00:16:36.090 .S., specifically historically disadvantaged 00:16:36.090 --> 00:16:38.090 communities. Communities that often bear the 00:16:38.090 --> 00:16:41.450 brunt of pollution and climate change? Precisely. 00:16:41.669 --> 00:16:43.490 Places dealing with the legacy of industrial 00:16:43.490 --> 00:16:45.610 pollution. Maybe lead pipes still delivering 00:16:45.610 --> 00:16:48.250 drinking water, areas prone to flooding that's 00:16:48.250 --> 00:16:50.470 getting worse with climate change or suffering 00:16:50.470 --> 00:16:53.250 from dangerous urban heat islands. The program 00:16:53.250 --> 00:16:56.169 aimed to fund local solutions, ground up projects 00:16:56.169 --> 00:16:58.970 to improve resilience and tackle these long -standing 00:16:58.970 --> 00:17:01.429 environmental health hazards, things that cause 00:17:01.429 --> 00:17:04.390 chronic illness, even death. So very tangible 00:17:04.390 --> 00:17:07.309 on the ground hill. Very tangible. Almost 350 00:17:07.309 --> 00:17:11.190 groups, rural, urban, towns, tribes were selected. 00:17:11.650 --> 00:17:14.170 It was a rigorous process. apparently, with built 00:17:14.170 --> 00:17:15.849 -in accountability for how the funds were used. 00:17:16.049 --> 00:17:18.289 And the administration just terminated it, a 00:17:18.289 --> 00:17:20.509 program mandated by Congress. That's what the 00:17:20.509 --> 00:17:22.349 lawsuit alleges, just terminated the whole thing. 00:17:22.630 --> 00:17:24.890 That sounds like a major constitutional issue, 00:17:25.109 --> 00:17:27.950 potentially, separation of powers. And what about 00:17:27.950 --> 00:17:30.250 the cost? Not just the loss program, but the 00:17:30.250 --> 00:17:32.529 legal fight itself adds to the overall cost of 00:17:32.529 --> 00:17:34.990 these decisions, right? Absolutely. Yeah. That's 00:17:34.990 --> 00:17:37.930 central to the lawsuit. The coalition bringing 00:17:37.930 --> 00:17:41.140 the suit Nonprofits, tribes, local governments, 00:17:41.579 --> 00:17:45.140 they argue exactly that, that terminating a program 00:17:45.140 --> 00:17:48.500 Congress mandated violates the separation of 00:17:48.500 --> 00:17:51.839 powers, makes it unconstitutional. They also 00:17:51.839 --> 00:17:54.480 argue the decision was arbitrary and capricious. 00:17:55.240 --> 00:17:58.039 That's legal speak for saying it was done without 00:17:58.039 --> 00:18:00.539 good reason, without considering the consequences, 00:18:00.920 --> 00:18:03.000 which violates the Administrative Procedure Act. 00:18:03.259 --> 00:18:06.640 So multiple legal grounds. Yes. And critics definitely 00:18:06.640 --> 00:18:09.059 see this as part of a wider pattern, an effort 00:18:09.059 --> 00:18:11.099 to roll back climate action and environmental 00:18:11.099 --> 00:18:13.380 justice initiatives. And you're right about the 00:18:13.380 --> 00:18:16.140 cost. Defending this lawsuit? plus potential 00:18:16.140 --> 00:18:18.460 damages if the government loses. That's another 00:18:18.460 --> 00:18:20.539 layer of cost stemming from these policy choices, 00:18:20.859 --> 00:18:23.200 far beyond the program's initial budget. So how 00:18:23.200 --> 00:18:25.259 is the administration responding in court? This 00:18:25.259 --> 00:18:27.319 seems like a pretty direct challenge to their 00:18:27.319 --> 00:18:29.240 authority. Well, their first move is to try and 00:18:29.240 --> 00:18:31.500 get the case dismissed entirely. They've filed 00:18:31.500 --> 00:18:34.059 a motion arguing that the court where it was 00:18:34.059 --> 00:18:36.500 filed, the U .S. District Court for D .C., doesn't 00:18:36.500 --> 00:18:38.779 actually have jurisdiction. On what grounds? 00:18:39.119 --> 00:18:41.539 They're arguing it's basically a contract dispute, 00:18:42.339 --> 00:18:44.759 that it belongs in a different court. the U .S. 00:18:44.799 --> 00:18:47.299 Court of Federal Claims, which handles monetary 00:18:47.299 --> 00:18:49.519 claims against the government. Ah, trying to 00:18:49.519 --> 00:18:51.960 reframe it from a constitutional issue to just 00:18:51.960 --> 00:18:54.319 contracts. That seems to be the strategy. And 00:18:54.319 --> 00:18:56.160 if they succeed with that argument... What happens 00:18:56.160 --> 00:18:58.680 then? It would likely break apart the class action. 00:18:59.079 --> 00:19:01.819 It would mean all those 349 grant recipients 00:19:01.819 --> 00:19:04.200 would have to sue individually. Individually. 00:19:04.480 --> 00:19:08.720 Small nonprofits, tribes, suing the federal government. 00:19:08.859 --> 00:19:11.779 Exactly. A huge burden. Likely impossible for 00:19:11.779 --> 00:19:15.430 many. And crucially, even if they won damages 00:19:15.430 --> 00:19:17.890 individually, it wouldn't reinstate the program 00:19:17.890 --> 00:19:20.470 itself. The environmental and climate justice 00:19:20.470 --> 00:19:23.349 program, as Congress intended it, would remain 00:19:23.349 --> 00:19:25.630 dead. So it's a procedural move with massive 00:19:25.630 --> 00:19:29.369 implications and the EPA itself. The EPA is just 00:19:29.369 --> 00:19:31.569 saying they don't comment on pending litigation. 00:19:31.829 --> 00:19:34.529 standard procedure. Okay, so we have legal battles 00:19:34.529 --> 00:19:37.210 over programs being cut, but there's also, reports 00:19:37.210 --> 00:19:39.670 suggest, a more direct assault happening on the 00:19:39.670 --> 00:19:42.170 actual science that underpins environmental rules. 00:19:42.529 --> 00:19:44.990 Yes, if we connect this all together, it looks 00:19:44.990 --> 00:19:48.369 like a really significant attempt to shift environmental 00:19:48.369 --> 00:19:51.269 policy by undermining the scientific foundation. 00:19:52.089 --> 00:19:54.730 The EPA recently announced it's proposing to 00:19:54.730 --> 00:19:58.609 undo the 2009 endangerment finding. The endangerment 00:19:58.609 --> 00:20:00.509 finding. Remind us what that is. There was a 00:20:00.509 --> 00:20:02.509 landmark ruling. Absolutely critical. It was 00:20:02.509 --> 00:20:05.390 based on a huge body of scientific evidence concluding 00:20:05.390 --> 00:20:08.170 that greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide endanger 00:20:08.170 --> 00:20:10.549 public health and welfare. Okay, so that finding 00:20:10.549 --> 00:20:13.269 is what gives the EPA the authority to regulate 00:20:13.269 --> 00:20:15.720 greenhouse gases. Precisely. Under the Clean 00:20:15.720 --> 00:20:18.380 Air Act, it's the legal and scientific basis 00:20:18.380 --> 00:20:21.259 for limiting pollution from cars, power plants, 00:20:21.759 --> 00:20:24.839 industry, basically most major sources. It's 00:20:24.839 --> 00:20:27.339 the bedrock of U .S. climate regulation. And 00:20:27.339 --> 00:20:29.920 they're proposing to undo that bedrock finding. 00:20:30.059 --> 00:20:32.339 What would that mean? If they finalize that proposal, 00:20:32.579 --> 00:20:35.079 it could essentially dismantle almost all existing 00:20:35.079 --> 00:20:37.299 federal climate regulations that rely on that 00:20:37.299 --> 00:20:39.839 finding. You would remove the EPA's main tool 00:20:39.839 --> 00:20:42.039 for controlling these emissions. Wow. And this 00:20:42.039 --> 00:20:44.400 links back to other administration goals. Well, 00:20:44.400 --> 00:20:46.700 it seems directly tied to the administration's 00:20:46.700 --> 00:20:48.960 stated policy of boosting fossil fuel production. 00:20:49.819 --> 00:20:53.059 The drill baby drill approach, which, according 00:20:53.059 --> 00:20:55.960 to overwhelming scientific consensus, is the 00:20:55.960 --> 00:20:59.000 primary driver of the climate crisis. So critics 00:20:59.000 --> 00:21:00.599 are worried this isn't just about regulation, 00:21:00.640 --> 00:21:03.920 but about public health. Deeply worried. Remember, 00:21:04.200 --> 00:21:06.420 the original endangerment finding was explicitly 00:21:06.420 --> 00:21:09.700 about protecting public health and welfare and 00:21:09.700 --> 00:21:11.960 that environmental and climate justice program 00:21:11.960 --> 00:21:15.099 that was cut. It was aimed at fixing environmental 00:21:15.099 --> 00:21:18.680 problems causing death and ill health. So rolling 00:21:18.680 --> 00:21:20.880 back the finding that allows regulation of the 00:21:20.880 --> 00:21:23.700 pollutants causing these problems, critics see 00:21:23.700 --> 00:21:25.900 that as potentially disastrous for Americans' 00:21:26.180 --> 00:21:27.900 health. And this is likely heading for the courts, 00:21:28.180 --> 00:21:31.250 too. More costs. Absolutely. These proposed rollbacks 00:21:31.250 --> 00:21:33.650 are almost guaranteed to trigger major lengthy 00:21:33.650 --> 00:21:36.410 court battles, adding again to the true long 00:21:36.410 --> 00:21:39.490 -term costs, legal fees, uncertainty, and the 00:21:39.490 --> 00:21:41.910 potential health costs if regulations are weakened. 00:21:42.329 --> 00:21:46.650 Okay, so beyond policy rollbacks and legal challenges, 00:21:47.369 --> 00:21:49.890 it seems there's also an effort, maybe more insidious, 00:21:50.089 --> 00:21:52.990 to reshape how climate science itself is understood 00:21:52.990 --> 00:21:55.609 and presented by the government. Yes. This is 00:21:55.609 --> 00:21:57.450 where the challenges to scientific integrity 00:21:57.450 --> 00:22:00.769 really come into sharp focus. The Energy Secretary, 00:22:01.049 --> 00:22:03.650 Chris Wright, who comes from an oil and gas background 00:22:03.650 --> 00:22:08.029 and supports that drill -baby -drill idea, he 00:22:08.029 --> 00:22:10.849 revealed the administration plans to update the 00:22:10.849 --> 00:22:13.950 big U .S. climate reports. The national climate 00:22:13.950 --> 00:22:15.730 assessments. Exactly. There have been five of 00:22:15.730 --> 00:22:18.349 them since 2000. They're compiled by multiple 00:22:18.349 --> 00:22:21.190 agencies, hundreds of scientists, widely seen 00:22:21.190 --> 00:22:23.390 as the gold standard for understanding climate 00:22:23.390 --> 00:22:25.890 change impacts in the U .S. Health, farming, 00:22:26.150 --> 00:22:28.450 water, everything. Update can mean different 00:22:28.450 --> 00:22:30.109 things, though. What's the concern here from 00:22:30.109 --> 00:22:31.509 scientists? It sounds like they don't think this 00:22:31.509 --> 00:22:33.950 is a genuine scientific update. No, that's the 00:22:33.950 --> 00:22:36.309 core concern. Secretary Wright claimed the previous 00:22:36.309 --> 00:22:38.829 assessments weren't fair and said, basically, 00:22:38.890 --> 00:22:40.650 if we find stuff we don't like, we want to fix 00:22:40.650 --> 00:22:43.069 it. Fix it. That sounds loaded. Very loaded, 00:22:43.349 --> 00:22:45.910 according to scientists. Respected figures like 00:22:45.910 --> 00:22:48.940 Michael Mann. immediately drew parallels, saying 00:22:48.940 --> 00:22:51.980 this is exactly what Joseph Stalin did, altering 00:22:51.980 --> 00:22:54.579 science for political ends. Strong words. Very 00:22:54.579 --> 00:22:56.859 strong. And Dr. Rachel Cletus from the Union 00:22:56.859 --> 00:22:59.000 of Concerned Scientists, she actually co -authored 00:22:59.000 --> 00:23:01.920 the last assessment, she said, writes comments 00:23:01.920 --> 00:23:04.779 confirmed their worst fears. Which were? That 00:23:04.779 --> 00:23:07.220 the plan isn't just to ignore the science, but 00:23:07.220 --> 00:23:10.779 to actively replace it with, in her words, outright 00:23:10.779 --> 00:23:13.779 lies to downplay the climate crisis and avoid 00:23:13.779 --> 00:23:16.819 dealing with it. The fear is a politically driven 00:23:16.819 --> 00:23:19.579 rewrite, not a scientific update. And this isn't 00:23:19.579 --> 00:23:21.700 just hypothetical. There have already been reports 00:23:21.700 --> 00:23:23.759 coming out that raise these kinds of red flags. 00:23:23.839 --> 00:23:25.900 Yes, absolutely. It's not just future plans. 00:23:26.480 --> 00:23:28.859 Just days before Wright made those comments about 00:23:28.859 --> 00:23:31.200 updating the assessments, his own Department 00:23:31.200 --> 00:23:33.859 of Energy published a 150 -page report. What 00:23:33.859 --> 00:23:35.980 did that report say? It claimed the concern over 00:23:35.980 --> 00:23:37.900 the climate crisis was overblown. Overblown. 00:23:38.000 --> 00:23:40.960 That was the message. Scientists immediately 00:23:40.960 --> 00:23:44.039 jumped on it, calling it a farce full of misinformation. 00:23:44.769 --> 00:23:47.049 Secretary Wright himself wrote the introduction 00:23:47.049 --> 00:23:50.329 stating, climate change is a challenge, not a 00:23:50.329 --> 00:23:53.589 catastrophe. So a direct contradiction to the 00:23:53.589 --> 00:23:55.930 message from mainstream climate science. A very 00:23:55.930 --> 00:23:58.470 direct contradiction coming officially from a 00:23:58.470 --> 00:24:01.670 federal agency. This is a key part of the escalating 00:24:01.670 --> 00:24:04.250 challenge to scientific consensus within the 00:24:04.250 --> 00:24:06.809 US government. What did experts say about the 00:24:06.809 --> 00:24:09.950 scientific legitimacy, the methodology behind 00:24:09.950 --> 00:24:12.089 this Department of Energy report? How does it 00:24:12.089 --> 00:24:14.920 stack up? Not well, according to the experts 00:24:14.920 --> 00:24:17.980 cited. Naomi Oreskes at Harvard, who studies 00:24:17.980 --> 00:24:19.779 climate misinformation. Right, you mentioned 00:24:19.779 --> 00:24:22.099 her. She said the report's real purpose seemed 00:24:22.099 --> 00:24:24.519 to be justifying a failure to regulate fossil 00:24:24.519 --> 00:24:26.980 fuels, essentially trying to replace legitimate 00:24:26.980 --> 00:24:29.279 science with pseudoscience. And the process. 00:24:29.460 --> 00:24:31.299 How was it put together? That's a huge point 00:24:31.299 --> 00:24:33.720 of criticism. It was reportedly written by just 00:24:33.720 --> 00:24:36.279 five hand -picked scientists, people generally 00:24:36.279 --> 00:24:39.579 seen as holding fringe or contrarian views within 00:24:39.579 --> 00:24:41.960 the broader climate science community. Only five. 00:24:42.039 --> 00:24:44.359 And were they peer -reviewed? Crucially, no. 00:24:44.980 --> 00:24:47.779 No traditional peer review. That's the standard 00:24:47.779 --> 00:24:50.220 process where other experts scrutinize the work 00:24:50.220 --> 00:24:53.099 before it's published. It's fundamental to scientific 00:24:53.099 --> 00:24:55.599 credibility. So completely different from how 00:24:55.599 --> 00:24:57.980 something like the big UN climate reports are 00:24:57.980 --> 00:25:01.200 done? Night and day. The IPCC reports involve 00:25:01.200 --> 00:25:04.460 hundreds, over 700 volunteer scientists globally. 00:25:05.059 --> 00:25:07.000 They go through multiple rounds of extensive 00:25:07.000 --> 00:25:09.319 peer review, and every government signs off on 00:25:09.319 --> 00:25:12.440 the final summaries. The DOE report had none 00:25:12.440 --> 00:25:15.519 of that rigor. So the concern isn't just disagreement. 00:25:15.619 --> 00:25:17.880 It's about the whole scientific process being 00:25:17.880 --> 00:25:21.680 bypassed and potentially using data selectively. 00:25:21.980 --> 00:25:24.400 Precisely. Scientists pointed out clear examples 00:25:24.400 --> 00:25:26.839 of cherry picking. Zeke Housefather at Berkeley 00:25:26.839 --> 00:25:28.980 Earth, for instance. His own research was cited 00:25:28.980 --> 00:25:30.859 in the DOE report. Oh, interesting. What did 00:25:30.859 --> 00:25:32.960 he say? He said they took one single chart from 00:25:32.960 --> 00:25:35.920 his 2019 paper, a chart from the supplementary 00:25:35.920 --> 00:25:38.900 materials, no less to claim climate models overestimate 00:25:38.900 --> 00:25:41.440 warming. But what did his actual paper conclude? 00:25:41.740 --> 00:25:43.680 His full paper actually showed the opposite, 00:25:44.099 --> 00:25:45.920 that climate models have generally performed 00:25:45.920 --> 00:25:48.579 very well over decades. He said it looked like 00:25:48.579 --> 00:25:51.000 they discarded the whole paper. because it didn't 00:25:51.000 --> 00:25:53.960 fit their narrative, and just pick this one isolated 00:25:53.960 --> 00:25:57.079 figure to cast doubt. That does sound like deliberately 00:25:57.079 --> 00:25:59.400 misrepresenting the findings. It certainly appears 00:25:59.400 --> 00:26:02.819 that way. Andrew Dessler at Texas A &M had a 00:26:02.819 --> 00:26:05.140 pretty sharp take on it. What was that? He said 00:26:05.140 --> 00:26:07.900 the report reads like a legal brief defending 00:26:07.900 --> 00:26:10.799 CO2, not like a fair assessment of evidence. 00:26:11.619 --> 00:26:14.400 Its goal, he argued, wasn't truth, but building 00:26:14.400 --> 00:26:18.119 a case for CO2's innocence. Wow, using legal 00:26:18.119 --> 00:26:20.759 tactics instead of scientific method. And he 00:26:20.759 --> 00:26:22.720 pointed out that many claims in the report are 00:26:22.720 --> 00:26:25.880 just rehashed old arguments. Shop -worn, decades 00:26:25.880 --> 00:26:28.839 -old, discredited climate -denier talking points, 00:26:28.859 --> 00:26:31.420 he called them. But now with an official government 00:26:31.420 --> 00:26:33.519 stamp on them. That's the really disturbing part 00:26:33.519 --> 00:26:36.299 for many scientists. These discredited ideas 00:26:36.299 --> 00:26:39.119 now carry the imprimatur, the official approval 00:26:39.119 --> 00:26:42.180 of the EPA and the federal government. It elevates 00:26:42.180 --> 00:26:44.799 fringe arguments and erodes trust in legitimate 00:26:44.799 --> 00:26:47.000 government science. Can you give some specific 00:26:47.000 --> 00:26:49.819 examples? What kind of misinformation did this 00:26:49.819 --> 00:26:52.319 DOE report contain that scientists pushed back 00:26:52.319 --> 00:26:55.460 on? Sure. There were several pretty glaring examples 00:26:55.460 --> 00:26:58.160 highlighted. The report claimed warming trends 00:26:58.160 --> 00:27:01.019 are overstated. While millions are experiencing 00:27:01.019 --> 00:27:04.200 record heat waves. Exactly. a total disconnect 00:27:04.200 --> 00:27:06.779 from reality for many people. It's suggested 00:27:06.779 --> 00:27:09.480 ocean acidification is basically natural, maybe 00:27:09.480 --> 00:27:12.400 even good for marine life. Good. But scientists 00:27:12.400 --> 00:27:14.960 warn it's incredibly dangerous, linking it to 00:27:14.960 --> 00:27:17.880 past extinctions. Right. The consensus is it's 00:27:17.880 --> 00:27:20.380 happening at an alarming rate, potentially reaching 00:27:20.380 --> 00:27:23.420 levels unseen in 14 million years, a time of 00:27:23.420 --> 00:27:26.980 major extinction. So calling it beneficial, that 00:27:26.980 --> 00:27:29.119 flies in the face of the science. What else? 00:27:29.420 --> 00:27:31.200 It mentioned Australia's Great Barrier Reef, 00:27:31.319 --> 00:27:33.259 saying it showed considerable growth. But isn't 00:27:33.259 --> 00:27:35.480 the reef suffering from massive bleaching events? 00:27:35.759 --> 00:27:38.180 Exactly. It just had its sixth mass bleaching 00:27:38.180 --> 00:27:41.579 since 2016. Bleaching is devastating for corals, 00:27:42.000 --> 00:27:44.559 a clear sign of severe stress, mostly due to 00:27:44.559 --> 00:27:47.240 warming waters. Claiming considerable growth 00:27:47.240 --> 00:27:50.079 ignores this crisis. Unbelievable. Any others? 00:27:50.400 --> 00:27:52.359 It also pushed the idea that crops will thrive 00:27:52.359 --> 00:27:56.460 with more CO2. The old CO2 is plant food argument? 00:27:56.759 --> 00:28:00.170 Yeah. But that ignores the downsides. Most research 00:28:00.170 --> 00:28:03.390 shows that the benefits of extra CO2 are outweighed 00:28:03.390 --> 00:28:05.970 by the damage from increasing extreme heat and 00:28:05.970 --> 00:28:08.349 drought, which will likely worsen crop yields 00:28:08.349 --> 00:28:11.750 overall. So cherry -picking again. Ignoring the 00:28:11.750 --> 00:28:15.690 bigger picture. It seems so. Bob Kopp at Rutgers 00:28:15.690 --> 00:28:19.509 called the report tedious, wearisome, and said 00:28:19.509 --> 00:28:21.789 he was personally embarrassed by it coming from 00:28:21.789 --> 00:28:24.000 a federal agency. It really paints a picture 00:28:24.000 --> 00:28:26.680 of a report completely disconnected from observable 00:28:26.680 --> 00:28:29.240 reality and rigorous science, urging people to 00:28:29.240 --> 00:28:31.299 ignore their own eyes, essentially. That's exactly 00:28:31.299 --> 00:28:33.579 how Michael Mann put it. They're literally trying 00:28:33.579 --> 00:28:35.500 to tell us not to believe what we see with our 00:28:35.500 --> 00:28:38.559 own two eyes and instead buy into their denialist 00:28:38.559 --> 00:28:41.799 framing. It's a profound challenge to evidence 00:28:41.799 --> 00:28:44.299 -based understanding and another aspect of the 00:28:44.299 --> 00:28:46.859 true cost we're discussing, the cost of eroding 00:28:46.859 --> 00:28:49.460 trust in the very institutions meant to provide 00:28:49.460 --> 00:28:51.839 reliable information. And beyond just the content 00:28:51.839 --> 00:28:53.880 of these reports, has this approach affected 00:28:53.880 --> 00:28:55.880 public access to information? Are they making 00:28:55.880 --> 00:28:59.180 it harder to find the real data? Yes, significantly 00:28:59.180 --> 00:29:02.619 so, according to reports. The government website 00:29:02.619 --> 00:29:05.960 that used to host those official national climate 00:29:05.960 --> 00:29:09.740 assessments, the ones mandated by law, it was 00:29:09.740 --> 00:29:13.220 deleted. taken down. So the public decision makers 00:29:13.220 --> 00:29:15.640 can't easily access those comprehensive reports 00:29:15.640 --> 00:29:17.740 anymore. It makes it substantially harder. You 00:29:17.740 --> 00:29:19.839 have to go digging elsewhere. And there are also 00:29:19.839 --> 00:29:22.599 broader reports indicating that much more environmental 00:29:22.599 --> 00:29:25.579 data has been deleted or made harder to access 00:29:25.579 --> 00:29:27.740 under this administration compared to previous 00:29:27.740 --> 00:29:31.099 ones. So less transparency, less data available 00:29:31.099 --> 00:29:34.000 for independent checking. It certainly hinders 00:29:34.000 --> 00:29:36.640 independent research and public scrutiny. It 00:29:36.640 --> 00:29:39.240 limits the ability to hold policies accountable 00:29:39.240 --> 00:29:41.640 using the government's own data. Faced with all 00:29:41.640 --> 00:29:43.940 this data suppression, challenges to their work, 00:29:44.299 --> 00:29:46.660 how has the scientific community itself responded? 00:29:46.900 --> 00:29:49.140 It must be incredibly frustrating. It definitely 00:29:49.140 --> 00:29:51.259 raises the question of how science carries on 00:29:51.259 --> 00:29:53.519 in such a challenging climate. But there's been 00:29:53.519 --> 00:29:56.319 a notable response. Remember when the contributors 00:29:56.319 --> 00:29:58.720 for the next National Climate Assessment, the 00:29:58.720 --> 00:30:02.220 one due in 2028, were reportedly dismissed earlier 00:30:02.220 --> 00:30:05.319 this year? Well, shortly after that, two major 00:30:05.319 --> 00:30:08.509 scientific societies. The American Meteorological 00:30:08.509 --> 00:30:11.809 Society and the American Geophysical Union announced 00:30:11.809 --> 00:30:14.390 they were teaming up. To do what? To produce 00:30:14.390 --> 00:30:17.109 their own independent, peer -reviewed research 00:30:17.109 --> 00:30:20.769 on climate change impacts. Essentially stepping 00:30:20.769 --> 00:30:23.789 in to fill the gap, to ensure that rigorous assessment 00:30:23.789 --> 00:30:27.690 continues. Wow. So the scientific community is 00:30:27.690 --> 00:30:30.170 pushing back, finding ways to keep the science 00:30:30.170 --> 00:30:33.089 going independently? It shows an incredible commitment. 00:30:33.369 --> 00:30:36.150 an unwavering dedication to the work to ensuring 00:30:36.150 --> 00:30:38.410 reliable climate information remains available. 00:30:38.750 --> 00:30:40.750 Even if they face hurdles within government agencies, 00:30:41.089 --> 00:30:42.849 they're demonstrating that the pursuit of scientific 00:30:42.849 --> 00:30:44.950 truth will find a way, even if it means doing 00:30:44.950 --> 00:30:47.769 it outside traditional channels. What a journey 00:30:47.769 --> 00:30:50.730 we've taken today on meteorology matters. It's 00:30:50.730 --> 00:30:53.470 compelling, but also, frankly, pretty concerning 00:30:53.470 --> 00:30:56.410 seeing how these policy decisions ripple outwards. 00:30:56.569 --> 00:30:58.650 Yeah, what really stands out is just how interconnected 00:30:58.650 --> 00:31:01.359 everything is. policy, scientific integrity, 00:31:01.599 --> 00:31:03.920 public safety. They aren't separate silos. The 00:31:03.920 --> 00:31:05.940 National Weather Service's ability to forecast, 00:31:06.500 --> 00:31:09.779 FEMA's ability to respond, the EPA's role in 00:31:09.779 --> 00:31:12.619 protecting health and environment. These are 00:31:12.619 --> 00:31:15.980 fundamental pillars for the country and the challenges 00:31:15.980 --> 00:31:18.799 they're facing now. It just hammers home how 00:31:18.799 --> 00:31:22.220 crucial, robust, independent science is for all 00:31:22.220 --> 00:31:24.720 of us. And it really reveals those true costs 00:31:24.720 --> 00:31:27.640 we talked about. Costs beyond the budget lines. 00:31:27.839 --> 00:31:30.630 Exactly. lost productivity, increased community 00:31:30.630 --> 00:31:33.269 risk, that drain of institutional knowledge, 00:31:33.549 --> 00:31:36.130 and maybe most importantly, the erosion of public 00:31:36.130 --> 00:31:39.009 trust when the work gets undermined or twisted. 00:31:39.269 --> 00:31:41.329 It definitely leaves us with a provocative thought, 00:31:41.349 --> 00:31:43.829 doesn't it? Especially now, with extreme weather 00:31:43.829 --> 00:31:46.430 seemingly on the rise, with environmental changes 00:31:46.430 --> 00:31:49.650 happening so fast, how much do we as a society 00:31:49.650 --> 00:31:52.289 really depend on getting the straight, unvarnished 00:31:52.289 --> 00:31:54.869 truth from our scientific institutions? It feels 00:31:54.869 --> 00:31:57.150 absolutely critical. And what happens when that 00:31:57.150 --> 00:32:00.279 truth gets questioned or buried or maybe intentionally 00:32:00.279 --> 00:32:02.819 spun for other reasons. What are the long -term 00:32:02.819 --> 00:32:04.640 implications? Something for all of you to think 00:32:04.640 --> 00:32:06.630 about. Definitely food for thought. Well, thank 00:32:06.630 --> 00:32:08.890 you for joining us on Meteorology Matters. If 00:32:08.890 --> 00:32:11.410 you want more insights into meteorology and its 00:32:11.410 --> 00:32:13.910 vital role, you can follow meteorologist Rob 00:32:13.910 --> 00:32:16.789 Jones. He's on Instagram at meteorologist, just 00:32:16.789 --> 00:32:19.049 the word meteorologist. Easy to remember. On 00:32:19.049 --> 00:32:22.529 TikTok, he's TV meteorologist. And over on YouTube, 00:32:22.569 --> 00:32:25.390 search for Rob Jones Hurricane, all one word. 00:32:25.789 --> 00:32:28.170 You'll find his channel there and also the full 00:32:28.170 --> 00:32:30.589 Meteorology Matters playlist. Great resources 00:32:30.589 --> 00:32:32.490 there. We really appreciate you tuning in and 00:32:32.490 --> 00:32:34.130 we look forward to having you with us next time.