The House of Representatives Committee on Science, Space and Technology's Twitter account retweeted a Breitbart News article that is unscientific and steeped in opinion on Thursday.
The article claims the science behind global warming is “in its final death rattle.”
An important committee in the United States House of Representatives, the committee's 38 members are in charge of all energy, environmental, marine, civil aviation and astronautics research and development.
Related: Government Ethics Office Applauds Trump, Ignores Potential Conflicts
This includes oversight of NASA, the Department of Energy, the National Science Foundation, the Environmental Protection Agency, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry, FAA, the National Institute of Standards and Technology, and FEMA.
The committee is chaired by Rep. Lamar Smith, a Republican from Texas.
Related: Analysis: Why Trump's Reliance on Debunked Theories Raises Concern
Breitbart’s article, titled “Global Temperatures Plunge. Icy Silence from Climate Alarmists” and written by climate-change denier James Delingpole — who does not have a science degree and is not a scientist — stated the following:
"Thanks [sic] what’s now recognized as an unusually strong El Nino, global temperatures were driven to sufficiently high levels to revive the alarmist narrative — after an unhelpful pause period of nearly 20 years — that the world had got hotter than ever before."
Scientists were quick to take to Twitter to debunk Delingpole’s claim and share their dismay that the House committee would cite an organization like Breitbart.
Rep. Eddie Bernice Johnson, D-Texas, a member of the committee herself, said on her Twitter account that the decision to retweet the Breitbart article was dangerous.
Delingpole did not produce any original reporting, but rather merged opinion with a Daily Mail article he read. He also cited a science editor of the Global Warming Policy Foundation, one of the U.K.’s most high-profile climate-change denying organizations that the Guardian reported has clear links to the coal industry.
Breitbart has played host to controversial headlines such as: “Birth Control Makes Women Unattractive and Crazy”; “The Solution to Online 'Harassment' is Simple: Women Should Log Off”; “Bill Kristol: Republican Spoiler, Renegade Jew”; “Hoist it High and Proud: The Confederate Flag Proclaims a Glorious Heritage” among many others.
Stephen Bannon was Breitbart’s executive chairman until he left to become the CEO of Donald Trump’s presidential campaign in August.
