A civilian geography professor was fired from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, N.Y., for pushing back after department officials barred faculty from teaching that humans contribute to climate change, according to a lawsuit filed Monday.
Adam Kalkstein, a climate scientist who spent 17 years teaching future Army officers, said he consistently received “outstanding” appraisals of his work. When leadership last year imposed a ban on teaching that humans contribute to climate change, he tried to comply but ultimately pushed back, saying that it was a disservice to the cadets’ education.
“It’s not a college-level course. It’s not even a high school course. Not because it isn’t rigorous; it is. But because we’re leaving out essential information,” Kalkstein said during a November 2025 meeting of the geography department with Brig. Gen. Shane Reeves, then the dean of the academic board, according to the lawsuit.
“We’re only telling cadets part of the story. We’re lying to them, deceiving them. It would be like trying to teach the law without being able to even mention the Constitution,” Kalkstein said.
The lawsuit called for a jury trial; to block West Point from imposing “baseless” restrictions on academic freedom; to reinstate Kalkstein to his tenured position; and to pay him monetary damages.
Read more at: West Point professor fired after pushing back on limitations to teaching climate change, lawsuit says | Stars and Stripes
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