Defending the Climate Science Reference GuideBack
Columbia Climate Law BlogColumbia Climate Law Blog

Defending the Climate Science Reference Guide

abatify summary
Ecosystem Impact

The removal or suppression of standardized climate science in judicial manuals could diminish the legal standing for biodiversity protection and the preservation of carbon sinks, as it creates evidentiary hurdles for holding entities accountable for ecological degradation and carbon emissions.

Systemic Reality

This move signals a significant effort to decouple judicial decision-making from established climate science, potentially increasing legal risk and uncertainty for ESG investments while shielding carbon-intensive industries from liability, thereby slowing global financial and policy transitions toward net-zero targets.

On January 29, 2026, a coalition of 27 state attorneys general, led by West Virginia Attorney General John B. McCuskey, sent a letter to the Federal Judicial Center (FJC) demanding immediate withdrawal of the “Reference Guide on Climate Science” from the Fourth Edition of the Reference Manual on Scientific Evidence (“Reference Manual”). Twenty-two of […]
  On January 29, 2026, a coalition of 27 state attorneys general, led by West Virginia Attorney General John B. McCuskey, sent a letter to the Federal Judicial Center (FJC) demanding immediate withdrawal of the “Reference Guide on Climate Science” from the Fourth Edition of the Reference Manual on Scientific Evidence (“Reference Manual”). Twenty-two of […]

This story moves you. Here’s what you can do.

Take Action
“I want to act on my climate impact.”
Know Your Impact
“I want to know my climate impact.”
Read full article at Columbia Climate Law Blog