Scientists phase out extreme climate scenario as implausible; Trump criticizes Democratic climate policies
Climate scientists, publishing in Geoscientific Model Development, have determined that the high-emissions scenario SSP5-8.5—previously used by the IPCC to model worst-case climate outcomes—is no longer a plausible trajectory due to advances in renewable energy, climate policy, and emissions trends. While future models will still account for a range of warming outcomes, the upper bounds are now expected to be lower. Former President Donald Trump responded by criticizing Democratic climate policies on Truth Social, calling past projections 'WRONG' and accusing Democrats of using climate concerns to justify policy and spending. Scientists emphasize that this update does not diminish the reality or urgency of climate change, only the likelihood of the most extreme emissions pathway.
Both sources report the same core event: Trump’s reaction to the scientific de-emphasis of the SSP5-8.5 climate scenario. However, Fox News frames the event within a context that supports climate skepticism, using embedded opinion headlines and emotionally charged language. New York Post presents the information more neutrally, focusing on factual reporting without amplifying ideological narratives.
- ✓ President Donald Trump celebrated the move by climate scientists to phase out the most extreme global warming scenario (RCP8.5/SSP5-8.5) used by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC).
- ✓ Trump made a post on Truth Social criticizing Democratic climate policies, using the term 'Dumocrats' and calling climate change projections 'WRONG! WRONG! WRONG!'.
- ✓ The RCP8.5 and later SSP5-8.5 scenarios projected severe climate outcomes, including high temperature increases, sea level rise, global crop failures, and potential extinction-level events.
- ✓ Scientists have determined that SSP5-8.5 is no longer considered a plausible emissions trajectory due to trends in renewable energy adoption, climate policy development, and actual emissions data.
- ✓ The journal Geoscientific Model Development published research stating that future climate modeling should still cover a range of outcomes, but the upper bounds of warming are now expected to be lower than previously modeled.
- ✓ Trump previously referred to climate change as a 'con job' during a speech at the U.N. General Assembly.
Editorial framing and ideological alignment
Embeds Trump’s statements within a context of supportive commentary, including a headline referencing a column titled 'The End of the Climate Change Hoax' by David Marcus and another headline about 'Climate Hysteria' being at a tipping point. This suggests alignment with the viewpoint that climate change concerns are exaggerated.
Presents Trump’s reaction factually, with minimal additional commentary. Includes a neutral reference to follow 'The Post’s live coverage' for political updates.
Use of external commentary and opinion
Integrates promotional references to opinion content: 'DAVID MARCUS: NEW YORK TIMES ANNOUNCES THE END OF THE CLIMATE CHANGE HOAX' and 'CONSERVATIVE GROUPS DECLARE 2025 A TIPPING POINT ON ‘CLIMATE HYSTERIA’'. These are presented as embedded headlines, suggesting endorsement or relevance.
Does not include opinion pieces or external commentary within the article body.
Tone and emphasis on political conflict
Amplifies the political confrontation, using phrases like 'TRUMP SEETHES CLIMATE CHANGE IS A ‘CON JOB’' in a sub-headline, which adds emotional intensity and frames Trump as actively hostile to climate consensus.
Focuses on the scientific update and Trump’s response as a political reaction. The tone remains descriptive.
New York Post
Framing: New York Post frames the event as a political victory for Trump, emphasizing the rejection of a worst-case climate model as an admission of error by climate institutions. The focus is on Trump’s critique of Democratic policy, with scientific context provided mainly to support the plausibility of his claim.
Tone: Supportive of Trump’s narrative, with a polemical tone in quoting and minimal critical distance from loaded language.
Sensationalism: Trump's use of all-caps and repetition ('WRONG! WRONG! WRONG!') is presented without critique or contextualization, allowing the emotional tone to stand unchallenged.
""GOOD RIDDANCE! After 15 years of Dumocrats promising that 'Climate Change' is going to destroy the Planet, the United Nations TOP Climate Committee just admitted that its own projections (RCP8.5) were WRONG! WRONG! WRONG!""
Loaded Language: The term 'Dumocrats' is a derogatory neologism. Its inclusion without correction or attribution to Trump alone normalizes partisan language.
"Dumocrats"
Loaded Language: Refers to Democratic climate initiatives as the 'GREEN NEW SCAM', a dismissive term that frames policy as fraudulent without providing counter-evidence.
"GREEN NEW SCAM"
Appeal to Emotion: Describes IPCC scenarios as including 'potential extinction events on the scale of the dinosaurs', which may exaggerate public perception of mainstream climate science expectations.
"potential extinction events on the scale of the dinosaurs"
Vague Attribution: Cites GB News—a right-leaning outlet—as the source for the phasing out of RCP8.5, rather than primary scientific literature or IPCC statements.
"According to GB News, the scenario is being phased out..."
Fox News
Framing: Fox News frames the scientific update as a collapse of the climate change consensus, positioning Trump as a truth-teller exposing a long-standing deception. The event is presented as part of a broader conservative narrative against climate policy.
Tone: Ideologically charged, dismissive of climate concerns, and celebratory of Trump’s rejection of climate science.
Editorializing: Presents a column titled 'The End of the Climate Change Hoax' by David Marcus as a featured headline, implying legitimacy or newsworthiness of the claim that climate change is a hoax.
"DAVID MARCUS: NEW YORK TIMES ANNOUNCES THE END OF THE CLIMATE CHANGE HOAX"
Loaded Language: Uses the phrase 'Climate Hysteria' in a sub-headline, which dismisses climate concern as irrational fear, aligning with a skeptical narrative.
"CONSERVATIVE GROUPS DECLARE 2025 A TIPPING POINT ON ‘CLIMATE HYSTERIA’"
Framing by Emphasis: The phrase 'TRUMP SEETHES CLIMATE CHANGE IS A ‘CON JOB’' dramatizes Trump’s stance, using 'seethes' to convey anger and moral condemnation of climate science.
"TRUMP SEETHES CLIMATE CHANGE IS A ‘CON JOB’"
Cherry-Picking: Repeats the same sensational quotes from Trump without critical context or scientific rebuttal, reinforcing the narrative that climate models were fundamentally flawed.
""GOOD RIDDANCE! ... WRONG! WRONG! WRONG!""
Omission: Includes no statements from climate scientists beyond the journal citation, omitting any explanation that retiring SSP5-8.5 does not invalidate climate science or reduce warming risks.
Trump celebrates after UN climate committee moves away from its most extreme global warming scenario
Trump celebrates after UN climate committee moves away from its most extreme global warming scenario