"White House Might Make Federal Scientists Debate Skeptics"

"A White House plan to debate the accuracy of climate science has hit a snag: Mainstream scientists are unlikely to participate.

Without a credible team of researchers who accept established climate science, the idea would fall flat, according to two people involved in the discussions. To get around that challenge, top officials planning the 'red team' debate have floated the idea of requiring scientists at NASA or NOAA to participate, the sources said.

Another idea would be to require the National Academy of Sciences to review and respond to the work of the team in charge of highlighting uncertainties in the research that underlies the National Climate Assessment. While the sources said the exercise could debut in the coming weeks, they also cautioned that the current state of discussions is fluid.

The effort's newest iteration is more modest than earlier proposals. Will Happer, a director on the National Security Council, had envisioned creating a rapid response team to upend the conclusions of government reports on climate change. Initial discussions considered using an executive order to create a 'Presidential Committee on Climate Security.'"

Scott Waldman reports for ClimateWire June 6, 2019.

Source: ClimateWire, 06/07/2019