The Republican Study Committee last week released a list of proposed budget cuts totaling $2.5 trillion, including a recommendation to withdraw U.S. funding from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). According to the Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS), the proposal points to a disturbing level of climate denial in Congress and it is not clear that the Study Committee is accurately projecting U.S. contributions to the IPCC.
“It’s bad enough that some of these policymakers have chosen to put on blinders when it comes to climate science and protecting Americans from climate change,” said Lexi Shultz, UCS’s Climate and Energy Legislative Director. “Now they’re trying to cut funding from a distinguished panel that sheds light on these issues for the entire world. The IPCC gives us a lot of bang for our buck and it would be a mistake to withdraw funding.”