The writer is a science commentator
When Virginia Burkett was targeted by political appointees during President Trump’s first term for her climate and land use research at the US Geological Survey, she fought back.
Burkett, also a lead author on three Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change reports, opposed efforts to dismantle climate research programmes inside her own organisation and resisted pressure to soften a key national report assessing climate impacts. Her acts of defiance, she claimed, earned her a demotion from her role as associate director. She eventually had her leadership position and salary restored under the Biden presidency and last year filed a whistleblower complaint, in a bid to protect other government scientists who speak out.