‘REALLY EXCITED’

Veteran Climate Scientist Booted by Trump Returns to White House

Trump had replaced him with meteorologist David Legates, who’s denied the impact of human behavior on global warming.

Climate scientist Mike Kuperberg is returning to the White House to lead the U.S. Global Change Research Program (USGCRP) after he was removed from his post by former President Donald Trump, Axios reports. The USGCRP conducts climate research and writes reports that lawmakers and corporations use to create new policies. Kuperberg said he is “really excited to be back.” “I think [the program] is a critical component for advancing the climate agenda of this administration,” he added.

After he removed Kuperberg, Trump had hired David Legates to fill the position. Legates, a meteorologist, has questioned the impact of human behavior on climate change, and was fired just before Biden became president because he and another government scientist had published unapproved climate documents with the White House seal on them. Those documents were not checked by the Office of Science and Technology Policy prior to publication, according to Axios.