Agriculture Department Buries Studies Showing Dangers of Climate Change

The Trump Administration has Refused to Publicize Dozens of Government-Funded Studies that carry Warnings about the Effects of Climate Change, defying a longstanding Practice of touting such Findings by the Agriculture Department’s acclaimed In-House Scientists.

The Studies range from a Groundbreaking Discovery that Rice loses Vitamins in a Carbon-Rich Environment, a potentially serious Health Concern for the 600 Million People World-Wide whose Diet consists mostly of Rice, to a Finding that Climate Change could Exacerbate Allergy Seasons to a Warning to Farmers about the Reduction in Quality of Grasses important for Raising Cattle.

All of these Studies were Peer-Reviewed by Scientists and Cleared through the Non-Partisan Agricultural Research Service, one of the World’s Leading Sources of Scientific Information for Farmers and Consumers.

None of the Studies were Focused on the Causes of Global Warming, an often Politically Charged Issue. Rather, the Research Examined the wide-ranging Effects of Rising Carbon Dioxide, Increasing Temperatures, and Volatile Weather.

The Administration, Researchers said, appears to be trying to Limit the circulation of Evidence of Climate Change and avoid Press Coverage that may Raise Questions about the Administration’s stance on the Issue.

“The intent is to try to suppress a message — in this case, the increasing danger of human-caused climate change,” said Michael Mann, a Leading Climate Scientist at Pennsylvania State University. “Who loses out? The People, who are already suffering the Impacts of Sea Level Rise and unprecedented super storms, droughts, wildfires, and heat waves.”

Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue, has expressed Skepticism about Climate Science in the Past and allegedly Retaliated against In-House Economists whose Findings Contradicted Administration Policies.

Investigations revealed a persistent pattern in which the Trump Administration Refused to draw Attention to Findings that show the Potential Dangers and Consequences of Climate Change, covering Dozens of separate Studies. The Administration’s moves flout Decades of Department Practice of Promoting its Research in the spirit of Educating Farmers and Consumers around the World, according to an Analysis of USDA Communications under previous Administrations.

The Lack of Promotion means Research from Scores of Government Scientists receives Less Public Attention. Climate-related Studies are still being Published without Fanfare in Scientific Journals, but they can be very difficult to Find. The USDA doesn’t Post All its Studies in one place.

Since Trump took Office in January 2017, the Agricultural Research Service has issued Releases for just Two Climate-related Studies, both of which had Findings that were Favorable to the Politically Powerful Meat industry. One found that Beef Production makes a relatively Small Contribution to Greenhouse Gas Emissions and another that Removing Animal Products from the Diet for Environmental reasons would likely cause widespread Nutritional Problems. The Agency issued a Third Press Release about Soy Processing that briefly mentioned Greenhouse Gas Emissions, noting that Reducing Fossil Fuel use or Emissions was “a personal consideration” for farmers.

By contrast, Research found that in the Case of the groundbreaking Rice Study USDA Officials not only Withheld their own Prepared Release, but actively sought to Prevent Dissemination of the Findings by the Agency’s Research Partners. Researchers at the University of Washington had collaborated with Scientists at USDA, as well as others in Japan, China and Australia, for more than Two years to study how Rising Carbon Dioxide in the Atmosphere could affect Rice, Humanity’s most important Crop. They found that it not only loses Protein and Minerals, but is also likely to lose Key Vitamins as Plants adapt to a Changing Environment.

The Study had undergone Intensive Review, addressing Questions from Academic Peers and within USDA itself. But after having Prepared an Announcement of the Findings, the Department abruptly decided Not to Publicize the Study and urged the University of Washington to hold back its own Release on the Findings, which Two of their Researchers had Co-Authored.

In an email to Staffers dated May 7th, 2018, an incredulous Jeff Hodson, a UW Communications Director, advised his Colleagues that the USDA Communications Office was “adamant that there was not enough data to be able to say what the paper is saying, and that others may question the science.” "It was so unusual to have an agency basically say: ‘Don't do a press release,’" Hodson recalled. "We stand for spreading the word about the science we do, especially when it has a potential impact on millions and millions of people."

Researchers say the Failure to Publicize their Work damages the Credibility of the Agriculture Department and Represents an Unwarranted Political Intrusion into Science. “Why the hell is the U.S., which is ostensibly the leader in science research, ignoring this?” said one USDA Scientist. “It’s not like we’re working on something that’s esoteric … we’re working on something that has dire consequences for the entire planet. You can only postpone reality for so long,” the Researcher added.

The Agency has stringent Guidelines to Prevent Political Meddling in Research projects themselves. The Trump Administration, Researchers say, is Not directly Censoring Scientific Findings or black-balling Research on Climate Change. Instead, they say, Officials are essentially choosing to Ignore or Downplay Findings that don’t Line Up with the Administration’s Agenda. Some Scientists see the fact that the Administration has Targeted another Research arm of USDA, the Economic Research Service (ERS), as a warning shot. Perdue is moving ERS out of Washington, which some Economists see as Retribution for Issuing Reports that Countered the Administration’s Agenda.

“There’s a sense that you should watch what you say,” said Ricardo Salvador, Director of the Food and Environment Program at the Union of Concerned Scientists. “It’s going to result in some pretty big gaps in practical knowledge. … it will take years to undo the damage.”

Among the ARS Studies that did Not receive Publicity from the Agriculture Department are:

- A 2017 Finding that Climate Change was likely to Increase Agricultural Pollution and Nutrient Runoff in the Lower Mississippi River Delta, but that certain Conservation Practices, including Not Tilling Soil and Planting Cover Crops, would help Farmers more than Compensate and bring down Pollutant Loads regardless of the Impacts of Climate Change.

- A January 2018 Finding that the Southern Plains, the Agriculture-rich Region that stretches from Kansas to Texas, is increasingly Vulnerable to the Effects of Climate Change, from the Crops that rely on the waning Ogallala Aquifer to the Cattle that Graze the Grasslands.

- An April 2018 Finding that Elevated CO2 Levels lead to “substantial and persistent” Declines in the Quality of certain Prairie Grasses that are important for Raising Cattle. The Protein content in the Grass Drops as Photosynthesis Kicks into high gear due to more Carbon Dioxide in the Atmosphere, a Trend that could pose Health Problems for the Animals and Cost Ranchers Money.

- A July 2018 Finding that Coffee, which is already being Affected by Climate Change, can potentially help Scientists figure out how to Evaluate and Respond to the Complex Interactions between Plants, Pests, and a Changing Environment. Rising CO2 in the Atmosphere is Projected to alter Pest Biology, such as by making Weeds Proliferate or Temperatures more Hospitable to Damaging Insects.

- An October 2018 Finding, in conjunction with the USDA Forest Service, that Climate Change would likely lead to more Runoff in the Chesapeake Bay Watershed during certain Seasons.

- A March 2019 Finding that Increased Temperature Swings might already be boosting Pollen to the point that it’s Contributing to Longer and more Intense Allergy Seasons across the Northern Hemisphere. “This study, done across multiple continents, highlights an important link between ongoing global warming and public health—one that could be exacerbated as temperatures continue to increase,”.

Those were among at least 45 ARS Studies related to Climate Change since the Beginning of the Trump Administration that did Not receive any Promotion. The Total Number of Studies that have Published on Climate-related Issues is likely to be Larger, because ARS Studies appear across a Broad Range of narrowly focused Journals and can be difficult to locate.

President Donald Trump has been Clear about his Views on Climate Science and Agricultural Research generally, he doesn’t think much of either. In each of his Budgets, Trump has proposed Deep Cuts to Agricultural Research, Requests that ignore a Broad, Bipartisan Coalition urging More Funding for such Science as China and other Competitors Accelerate their Spending. Congress has so far kept Funding mostly Flat.

After the Government Released its latest National Climate Assessment in November 2018, a Sweeping Document based on Science, Trump bluntly told Reporters: "I don't believe it." Officials at USDA apparently took the Hint and the Department did Not Promote the Report, despite the Fact that it was Drafted in Part by its Own Scientists and Included Serious Warnings about how a Changing Climate poses a Threat to Farmers and Ranchers across the Country.









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