The idea of a government forming a clandestine group to spread propaganda and misinformation to push their interests sounds like something straight out of George Orwell’s 1984, but that’s exactly what’s happening with the Trump administration. In a January 2026 court case, the Environmental Defense Fund forced the administration to release information regarding the new “Climate Working Group,” a group of five “scientists” led by Energy Secretary Chris Wright. In July of 2025, this group published a paper regarding the effects of greenhouse gas emissions on the environment, claiming that the effects were “less damaging” than originally believed, and that United States policies have “undetectably small” impacts on the global climate. The courts ruled that this document, revealed to be specifically intended to undermine the Environmental Protection Agency’s Endangerment Finding, was a violation of federal law, along with the formation of the group itself.
(Energy Secretary Chris Wright (left), who formed the CWG)
The basis of the EDF’s lawsuit is the Federal Advisory Committee Act; written in 1972, the Act states that when the government forms a group to advise them on something, the group’s actions must be public and transparent in order to protect from outside influence that could go against the interests of the people. The CWG, meanwhile, operated in secret and was made up of “scientists” with a pre-existing history of climate denial – about as clear-cut a case as one could possibly get of violating that law. The group has since been disbanded (in a failed attempt by the US government to prevent the lawsuit), but their work is unfortunately still being displayed on the official website for the Department of Energy.
(Chris Wright, testifying)
This whole case, and the existence of the Climate Working Group in general, is yet another lesson in the propaganda fossil fuel companies have been pushing since the 1920’s. The Trump administration has been using this rhetoric time and again to push for less climate change protection and more economic growth, and the CWG is just the latest in this long line – it’s classic “climate change activists are being alarmist” and “it costs too much to implement their policies.” This kind of disinformation is everywhere nowadays, including on the US government’s official websites. What can be learned from this is that it’s more important than ever to recognized propaganda in the wild: check the author of the source, notice their connections, and keep in mind any possible agendas they might have. It’s also easy to believe that nothing can be done about climate change with this kind of influence, but the verdict of this trial is proof that a difference can be made, so long as you make your voice loud enough.
I can't believe how underrepresented this entire operation was. Great prompt for conversation + supporting material
ReplyDeleteAs a huge horror and sci-fi fan, I can't say I'm shocked something like this has happened but it's still hard to comprehend. It's unfortunate that the policies put into place to protect the public from this type of misinformation are simply being ignored.
ReplyDeleteThis highlights how serious the CWG situation was. A secret group built on climate denial pushing misinformation is a huge red flag, especially when their work stayed on a government site. It’s a good reminder to watch for propaganda and check who’s behind the information we see and that public pressure can still hold leaders accountable.
ReplyDeleteThis was a great topic to choose, and I learned a lot more than I had previously knew about this topic. This definitely should be something made aware to everyone, because it shows that it matters to check how credible our information is before running with it.
ReplyDeleteI like how you connected your post to 1984. This is a very effective comparison to help the reader understand the seriousness of the situation. Good job!
ReplyDeleteI like how you used a well known dystopia to point out how our society is moving in that direction.
ReplyDeleteI loved your blog post. I also wrote about the Trump administrations finding about green house gases. I liked your discussion about fossil fuel propaganda.
ReplyDeleteThe CWG not keeping there law promise to stay public is so unethical and illegal. That fact its made up of scientists who neglect climate change is even worse.
ReplyDeleteAnother very educational post. Also proof that even "scientific" papers can be biased. I really liked the section at the end where you mentioned takeaways as well and wish I would have added something like that at the end of my post.
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