Scientists challenge Trump to seek 'credible' climate change facts following denial

A group of scientists has slammed US President Donald Trump over comments he made about climate change, telling him to use government sources to find 'credible and scientifically validated' information.

File images: US president Donald Trump and a polar bear walking over sea ice floating in the Victoria Strait in the Canadian Arctic Archipelago

File images: US president Donald Trump and a polar bear walking in the Victoria Strait in the Canadian Arctic Archipelago Source: AAP

Mr Trump on Tuesday dismissed arguments that the planet was getting warmer, telling British presenter Piers Morgan in an exclusive interview that polar ice caps were "at a record level".

"There is a cooling, and there's a heating," Mr Trump said.

"I mean, look, it used to not be climate change, it used to be global warming. That wasn't working too well because it was getting too cold all over the place."

In a response via a letter mailed to the White House, the American Meteorological Society said Mr Trump's words contradicted evidence gathered by agencies that work under him.

"Unfortunately, these and other climate-related comments in the interview are not consistent with scientific observations from around the globe, nor with scientific conclusions based on these observations," the AMS letter read, which was signed by its executive director Keith Seitter.

Mr Trump has a long history of climate change denial, including a 2012 tweet where he called it a hoax perpetuated by the Chinese to make American businesses less competitive.

Last month he questioned it further amid a cold snap in the eastern parts of the US.

The letter went on to suggest that Mr Trump should consult groups, such as the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and NASA for information. 

"There is a wealth of comprehensive and accurate information on climate change available to you and your staff within government agencies, as well as from experts in academic institutions and other organisations," the letter said.

"The American Meteorological Society stands ready to provide assistance in connecting Executive Branch staff with that knowledge and expertise to ensure that you and your staff are working with credible and scientifically validated information as you navigate the many difficult policy areas impacted by the Earth's changing climate."

Last year, NASA released a report showing the sea ice extent on both poles had reached the lowest levels since data began being collected in 1979.


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