Overview

• More than 80 experts led by Texas A&M atmospheric scientist Andrew Dessler published a 400-plus-page critique rejecting the Department of Energy’s July climate report.
• The authors say the DOE document relies on long-discredited ideas, erroneous interpretations, selective omissions and confirmation bias.
• Specific assertions challenged include claims that elevated CO2 levels are beneficial for agriculture and that ocean acidification presents limited concern.
• The DOE report, written by five scientists known for minimizing human-driven warming and emphasizing solar factors, is being cited by the administration to reverse greenhouse-gas rules, including a proposed EPA review of the 2009 Endangerment Finding.
• Public comments on the DOE report closed on September 2, with the extensive rebuttal submitted, setting the stage for a sustained scientific and policy battle over climate regulation.