National Academies reviews climate science chapter amid litigation concerns

The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM) has removed the climate science chapter from the fourth edition of its Reference Manual on Scientific Evidence from its website. This action is pending an independent review of the processes used to develop the chapter.

The manual serves as a key document for federal judges presiding over more than 1,500 pending climate-related legal cases in the United States. One notable case, Suncor v. Boulder, is scheduled for oral arguments before the U.S. Supreme Court next month. These legal proceedings aim to determine if private fossil fuel corporations can be held liable for climate change and associated natural disasters.

Concerns have been raised regarding potential conflicts of interest within the NASEM Attribution Committee. Reports suggest the chapter may have relied on views from legal professionals involved in climate litigation, such as Michael Burger of Columbia University’s Sabin Center for Climate Change Law, who has been active in cases involving law firms like Sher Edling that sue oil companies.