Climate Denial Conference in Washington Showcases Resurgence Under Trump Administration

Key Points

• Conference of climate deniers held near White House with ~220 attendees
• EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin spoke and praised the shift away from climate science
• Zeldin called himself backed by 'gold standard science, not doomsday models'
• Event marks resurgence of climate denial in federal politics after years of marginalization
• Trump administration has cut climate research funding and dismantled environmental regulations

Full Details

A conference hosted by groups that reject the scientific consensus on climate change drew approximately 220 attendees to a hotel basement ballroom in downtown Washington this week. EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin addressed the gathering, stating 'We aren't just following blind obedience to whatever the dire, doom-and-gloom prediction of the day is' and positioning his leadership as backed by 'gold standard science, not doomsday models designed to scare the public into compliance.' The event, organized by groups including the Heartland Institute, made clear that climate change deniers are experiencing a triumphant resurgence in Trump's Washington after years of feeling sidelined by the scientific and political establishments. The Trump administration has systematically sought to slash federal funding for climate research while dismantling dozens of climate and environmental regulations, with Trump himself having called climate change a 'hoax' and 'the greatest con job ever perpetrated on the world.'