A climate report without denial and without drama

A NEW REPORT from the Department of Energy concludes that, yes, the climate is changing and humans contribute to it — but no, it’s not necessarily the impending catastrophe we've been warned about. In another era, an agency charting this kind of middle course would be unremarkable. Today, it feels revolutionary.

- VERONIQUE DE RUGY CONTRIBUTING WRITER

A SHUTTERED power plant at Morro Bay. A new Department of Energy report suggests eliminating U.S. carbon emissions would have an "undetectably small" effect on global temperatures.

The debate over climate change and responses has become so polarized that acknowledging the problem of human-driven warming without accepting a narrative that can sound apocalyptic invites attacks from all sides. I understand that the findings are controversial and hope climate scientists debate every detail. Considering the upside of getting this issue right, you would think more people would encourage open debate.

That is exactly what led energy analyst Travis Fisher of the Cato Institute to return briefly to the administration to help organize the Climate Working Group, which generated the report. Like many of us who read from outside our ideological circles, Fisher was frustrated that many members of the left treat climate-crisis dissent as a thought crime, while many on the right still dismiss climate change as a joke.

Fisher was initially hesitant to return to government service after a bruising prior stint. He was won over by Energy Secretary Chris Wright’s stated desire to follow the data and inject more hard evidence into the conversation. Wright's plan was simple: “Elevate the debate” by gathering a team of credible, often-overlooked, independent experts to critically review the state of climate science — without political filters — and publish the results openly.