And yet the old way of discussing climate change — framing it as a debate — appears to be coming back into fashion, this time spurred by the federal government. “Climate change is a challenge — not a catastrophe,” Chris Wright, the Trump-appointed energy secretary, declared in the foreword. The administration has also cut billions in funding for climate programs and research, and has proposed halting projects that monitor climate change. “We’re losing precious, precious time to help stave off these terrible impacts of climate change,” Cleetus said. “‘Is it as solid as you say it is?’”It bears repeating that upward of 97 percent of climate experts agree that human-caused climate change is happening, but there are many areas of climate science that merit further study.