The National Climate Assessment is broken – appointing Matthew Wielicki to lead it won’t help

What communities and businesses really need is information they can act on, with examples of what’s worked elsewhere and why – and what fails.

By: Joe Árvai, USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences, The Conversation

Outlets: The Conversation

Published: July 22, 2026

Words: 1,371

Last Updated: 4 weeks ago

By Joe Árvai, USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences

In early July 2026, the Trump administration quietly tapped Matthew Wielicki to lead the U.S. Global Change Research Program. The move places a podcaster known for downplaying the threats of climate change – and importantly, someone who has not been meaningfully involved in research on climate change or its impacts – at the top of one of the country’s most important scientific enterprises, …

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