Indeed, the NAS report ignores fundamental science entirely, never seriously considering the causes of the present climate change, or whether human actions are causing a climate catastrophe. The NAS report states, “[t]he study will develop conclusions that describe supporting evidence.” An objective examination would have been framed more neutrally. The NAS eschewed choosing a prominent physicist, like NAS members Richard Lindzen, Will Happer, or Steve Koonin, to chair the committee. While Tilghman may well be qualified to assess the potential phenotypic and genetic impacts of climate change on biological organisms, she lacks specialized knowledge concerning the causes of climate change, either ongoing changes in the present, or climate changes in the past. If climate change isn’t producing or seriously threatening catastrophic consequences, their respective reputations and livelihoods would be discredited and defunded.