Trump calls climate change a con; science braces for more

RICHMOND, Virginia - President Donald Trump's decision to downplay or outright delete issues and data tied to climate change is raising fears of a wider push to quash debate with dire consequences on scientific research, experts say.

Trump last month dismissed climate change as a "con job" – now his Department of Energy (DoE) is reportedly telling staff to avoid using language that runs counter to the president's views on climate science.

It's the latest in a string of moves from the Trump administration to limit, dismiss - or ban - issues and phrases tied to climate change across the U.S. federal government.

"This is a huge move for blanket censorship on science and blanket censorship on climate," said Jean Su, energy justice programme director at the Center for Biological Diversity, an advocacy group.

"When we are erasing these words, we are actually then erasing reports; we are erasing the facts - because all of those factual reports have those types of words."

A new memo at an office in the energy department reportedly listed a host of banned words - from "emissions" to "climate" - though the department denied there was any such directive.

Still, the broader trend has alarmed proponents of science.

"It's severely and surprisingly lethal for our justice system and for our advocacy," Su said. "It seems like little paper cuts, but death by a thousand paper cuts is where we are right now.

Banned words?

According to Politico, staff were given new orders to avoid using words and phrases related to climate change, which Trump dismissed as a "con job" at the United Nations last month.

A spokesperson for the DoE - which has about 14,000 employees - said there was no order for staff to shun certain terms after media reported the "words to avoid" memo.

"There is no directive at the Energy Department instructing employees to avoid using phrases such as 'climate change' or 'emissions'," spokesperson Ben Dietderich told Context.

"President Trump and (Energy) Secretary (Chris) Wright remain committed to transparency and fostering an open, honest dialogue about climate science," Dietderich said.

Politico first reported that an official with the department's Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) sent an email to staff with a list of "words to avoid" such as 'climate change', 'green' and 'decarbonisation'.

"Please ensure that every member of your team is aware that this is the latest list of words to avoid — and continue to be conscientious about avoiding any terminology that you know to be misaligned with the Administration's perspectives and priorities," said the directive from acting director of external affairs Rachael Overbey, according to media reports.

Other phrases listed as no-nos include: 'energy transition', 'sustainable', 'dirty energy', 'carbon footprint' and 'tax subsidies'.

Su said the fallout may be practical as well as ideological, pointing to past DoE efforts to promote solar and wind power, as well as a department drive to study climate resilience.

"When we have banned words...they'll probably lose steam," she said of such green initiatives, fearing the department may instead "get bad energy into the mix".

'Con job'

Since being sworn into office in January, Trump's administration has moved to limit or downplay issues and phrases tied to climate change across the U.S. federal government.

Data experts say climate information has been changed or deleted on many official websites.

For example, the Environmental Protection Agency is moving to reverse a long-standing finding that greenhouse gasses are harmful to public health.

The administration is also deleting and downplaying reams of data and web pages tied to issues such as environmental justice.

In a speech at the United Nations last month, Trump dismissed climate change as "the greatest con job ever perpetrated on the world".

"All of these predictions made by the United Nations and many others, often for bad reasons, were wrong," he said. "They were made by stupid people that have cost their country's fortunes and given those same countries no chance for success."

It is the overwhelming consensus among the scientific community that global warming is being accelerated by human activity and is harmful to public health.

The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM) issued a report in September saying "the evidence for current and future harm to human health and welfare" created by human-caused emissions is "beyond scientific dispute."

(Reporting by David Sherfinski; Editing by Lyndsay Griffiths and Anastasia Moloney)