Ms. Mercer did not respond to multiple requests for comment, and Ellen V. Futter, the museum’s president, declined to comment about Ms. Mercer. He added that Ms. Mercer “has actively funded the climate change denial and disinformation campaign.”The climate change positions of people surrounding Mr. Trump are being closely scrutinized as he takes office, partly because the president-elect has described climate change as a hoax, and vowed to “cancel” the Paris climate accord and to undo President Obama’s Clean Power Plan. Ms. Mercer is not known for publicly speaking out on the climate change issue. But her generous support of organizations that raise doubts about global warming drew criticism from environmental groups like the Sierra Club and Greenpeace. “How can a science museum reconcile placing a climate denier in a leadership position?” she said.

Source: New York Times January 17, 2017 23:05 UTC