"Politics: Climate Critics Find A New Target: Coronavirus Forecasts

"A vocal set of conservative critics have increased their attacks recently on the data modeling behind the novel coronavirus response, and they claim — despite scientific evidence to the contrary — that the flaws also prove the limits of climate change forecasts.

The group, which includes federal lawmakers, climate science deniers and conservative pundits with close White House connections, has even called for congressional hearings into the coronavirus modeling.

That's in spite of assurances from public health officials that better-than-expected U.S. death estimates for COVID-19 are because millions of Americans responded to pleas for social distancing. The most-used model now forecasts 60,000 U.S. deaths rather than 100,000 or more."

Scott Waldman reports for Climatewire April 15, 2020.

SEE ALSO:

"Modeling Coronavirus: ‘Uncertainty Is The Only Certainty’" (AP)

"America’s Most Influential Coronavirus Model Just Revised Its Estimates Downward. But Not Every Model Agrees." (Washington Post)