Topic: Climate Assessment

The Trump administration shut down the primary website for the National Climate Assessment, a series of reports mandated by Congress since the 1990s. Scientists, including Catherine Hayhoe, criticized the move as a "modern version of book burning" that leaves local planners without essential data. NASA officials stated that existing reports would eventually be hosted as PDFs on a different platform.

The UN weather agency reported that greenhouse gas concentrations reached record highs in 2022, with CO2 levels 50% above pre-industrial averages. Simultaneously, the European Union reached a deal to monitor and cut methane emissions in the energy sector. These reports are part of a broader media buildup ahead of the COP 28 summit, emphasizing the increasing frequency of heatwaves, flooding, and drought across the planet.

The White House released the latest National Climate Assessment, warning that every region of the U.S. is currently experiencing the worsening effects of climate change. Climate scientist Kate Marvel stated that the current generation is the last one capable of making a meaningful difference. The report notes that billion-dollar weather disasters now occur every three weeks on average, and while U.S. emissions are falling, the transition to wind and solar is not happening fast enough.

A major federal climate report released by NOAA on the Friday after Thanksgiving draws criticism for its timing and dire economic predictions. Media outlets like CNN and CBS report on projected losses in agriculture and infrastructure, while the hosts analyze the political framing involving Donald Trump and Al Gore.

Laurent Fabius introduces the term "climate chaos" and sets a 500-day deadline to avoid disaster. The hosts also mock a KTVU news report that erroneously claimed temperatures could rise by "2100 degrees" due to a teleprompter misread of the year 2100.