Scientists behind United Nations-backed climate research say the highest-emissions warming scenario is no longer considered the most likely path forward, prompting renewed criticism of Democratic climate policies from President Donald Trump.
By yourNEWS Media Newsroom
President Donald Trump on Saturday praised climate researchers for moving away from one of the most severe warming projections previously used in United Nations-backed climate modeling, calling the development proof that climate alarmism had been overstated for years.
In a Truth Social post, Trump criticized Democratic energy initiatives and referenced the climate modeling framework known as RCP8.5, which had long been used to project some of the most severe possible warming outcomes.
“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!” Trump wrote.
pic.twitter.com/LCed40b3sB
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) May 16, 2026
He continued, “For far too long Climate Activism has been used by Dumocrats to scare Americans, push horrible Energy Polices, and fund BILLIONS into their bogus research programs. Unlike the Dumocrats, who use Climate Alarmism nonsense to push their GREEN NEW SCAM, my Administration will always be based on TRUTH, SCIENCE, and FACT!”
Trump’s remarks followed reporting by Fox News detailing how researchers connected to the United Nations-backed Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change are reducing reliance on the RCP8.5 and SSP5-8.5 emissions pathways in future climate modeling.
The scenarios had been developed to examine potential outcomes under extremely high greenhouse gas emissions assumptions. Forecasts tied to those models included major increases in global temperatures, rising sea levels, disruptions to food production, and large-scale environmental impacts.
Researchers writing in the scientific journal Geoscientific Model Development stated that future climate projections should continue examining a broad range of possibilities, but said the highest-end emissions assumptions now appear increasingly unlikely based on current trends.
“For the 21st century, this range will be smaller than assessed before: on the high-end of the range, the high emission levels (quantified by SSP5-8.5) have become implausible, based on trends in the costs of renewables, the emergence of climate policy and recent emission trends,” the researchers wrote.
According to the report, the reassessment reflects changes in energy markets, the continued expansion of renewable energy, and evolving emissions patterns observed over recent years.
Trump has repeatedly criticized international climate projections and environmental regulations. During remarks at the United Nations General Assembly in New York last September, he described climate change messaging as exaggerated and politically motivated.
“It’s the greatest con job ever perpetrated on the world, in my opinion,” Trump said. “All of these predictions made by the United Nations and many others, often for bad reasons, were wrong.”
“They were made by stupid people that have cost their country’s fortunes and given those same countries no chance for success,” he added.
Those comments prompted responses from Democratic officials and political opponents, including former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, who criticized Trump’s characterization of climate science during remarks at the Clinton Global Initiative in New York.
“You know yesterday at the U.N., President Trump said, ‘Climate change is a hoax,’ because it’s just total disinformation,” Clinton said. “It’s a statement that is just not true, and yet being propagated.”
EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin later defended Trump’s position during an interview with Fox News.
“The president is absolutely right and we’ve seen it in the name of climate change, these left wing policies willing to cause extreme economic pain for people who can at least afford it,” Zeldin said.
Trump’s post follows remarks he made last September at the U.N. General Assembly in New York, where he called climate change a “con job.”
“It’s the greatest con job ever perpetrated on the world, in my opinion,” Trump said at the time. “All of these predictions made by the United Nations and many others, often for bad reasons, were wrong.”
“They were made by stupid people that have cost their country’s fortunes and given those same countries no chance for success,” he continued.
Trump’s comments drew criticism from Democrats, including former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, who called the remarks “total disinformation.”
“You know yesterday at the U.N., President Trump said, ‘Climate change is a hoax,’ because it’s just total disinformation,” Clinton said during the Clinton Global Initiative in New York. “It’s a statement that is just not true, and yet being propagated.”
EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin later defended Trump’s climate remarks in an interview with Fox News.
“The president is absolutely right and we’ve seen it in the name of climate change, these left wing policies willing to cause extreme economic pain for people who can at least afford it,” he said.
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