2024 The Hottest Year on Record Climate Leadership in Crisis

The verdict is in: 2024 has officially been declared the hottest year on record. This milestone marks a dire escalation in the climate crisis, as global temperatures surpassed 2023 and, for the first time, exceeded the 1.5°C warming threshold set by the Paris Climate Agreement. Evidence of this crisis is everywhere —whether through news of catastrophic storms, raging wildfires, or the impacts visible outside our windows.

In the face of these alarming developments, incoming President Donald Trump’s cabinet nominations raise significant concerns. His picks, many with strong ties to fossil fuel interests, signal a retreat from climate science and a pivot toward policies that could exacerbate the crisis.

High-profile nominations include Lee Zeldin to lead the Environmental Protection Agency and oil executive Christ Wright as head of the Department of Energy. These appointments represent an agenda favoring fossil fuels at the expense of environmental and public health.

Particularly troubling is the nomination of Russel Vought to lead the Office of Management and Budget (OMB). Vought, a key architect of the controversial Project 2025, has outlined plans to expand presidential power and undermine climate initiatives.

Vought’s vision includes targeting civil servants tasked with addressing climate issues. He has publicly stated a desire to dismantle the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), cutting its budget and rendering it ineffective in regulating the energy industry. “We want them to not want to go to work,” he said, adding, “We want their funding to be shut down...so they can’t do all of the rules against our energy industry.”

A major focus of Vought’s agenda is reshaping the National Climate Assessment, a cornerstone report produced by the US Global Change Research Program (USGCRP). The report, grounded in the work of hundreds of scientists, informs federal climate policy and reinforces U.S. leadership on global climate issues. Vought has advocated for White House control over the Assessment and OMB involvement in selecting its contributors, a move widely viewed as an effort to politicize and discredit the science.

Project 2025 extends its reach beyond the EPA and USGCRP. The plan includes dissolving the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and commercializing the National Weather Service—two critical agencies in climate research and disaster preparedness.

Congresswoman Sara Jacobs of California has described Project 2025 as “January 6's attempted coup dressed in a nice suit.” She highlights its threat to democratic checks and balances and its attack on America’s climate leadership.

Rejecting the nominations of Russel Vought and other contributors to Project 2025 is essential for safeguarding climate science, public health, and America’s role in addressing global challenges. With communities worldwide grappling with the devastating impacts of extreme weather, there is no time to delay.