Trump's denial won't change climate reality

March 11, 2025

The Roman Inquisition silenced Galileo because his realisation that the Earth orbited the Sun was contrary to the church’s interpretation of biblical texts.

Now Donald Trump is slashing the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Agency, and ordering the removal from the internet of all research relating to climate change, because he believes climate change is a hoax.

The Roman Inquisition did not change the movements of the planets by silencing Galileo. President Trump will likewise not change climate science by simply denying that the problem exists. Silencing Galileo did not harm our solar system at all, it simply slowed our learning about it. But President Trump can, if he prevents essential actions to preserve our climate, unleash those tipping point forces which are even now threatening to destabilise our environment.

While, in the world of science and rationality, researchers globally are making efforts to safeguard existing climate data from Trump’s purging, his destruction of continuing research capacity must have enduring, substantial implications. Our environment is already tipping, slipping beyond our ability to secure a liveable environment. We need the president to update his MAGA philosophy – please: Make America Green Again.