Trump Administration Uses Horrifying Climate Forecast to Defend Fuel Policy

In a draft statement issued by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), the Trump administration predicted a dramatic seven-degree-Fahrenheit rise in global temperatures by 2100. But instead of using that statement as an impetus to change emissions policies, The Washington Post reports Friday, the administration is using that information to make a bizarre logical leap: that it doesn’t matter if Trump freezes fuel efficiency standards, because our world’s climate fate is already sealed. That position has drawn ire from scientists, one of whom called it a “textbook example of how to lie with statistics.” He explained that “First, the administration proposes vehicle efficiency policies that would do almost nothing [to fight climate change]. Then [the administration] makes their impact seem even smaller by comparing their proposals to what would happen if the entire world does nothing.” The plan has also drawn criticism from politicians and the public, the Post notes, especially those who faced the consequences of climate change first-hand during a catastrophic wildfire season. “There is anger in my state about the administration’s failure to protect us,” Washington Gov. Jay Inslee told the Post. “When you taste it on your tongue, it’s a reality.”