A civilian geography professor was dismissed from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, New York, after he opposed a directive from department officials to refrain from teaching that humans contribute to climate change, according to a lawsuit filed on Monday. Adam Kalkstein, a climate scientist with 17 years of experience teaching future Army officers, stated he received consistently high performance evaluations. He attempted to comply with the leadership's ban on teaching human contributions to climate change but ultimately resisted, arguing that it compromised the education of cadets.
During a November 2025 meeting with Brig. Gen. Shane Reeves, then dean of the academic board, Kalkstein expressed concern that omitting this information was misleading. "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," he stated, as cited in the lawsuit.
The lawsuit seeks a jury trial to prevent West Point from enforcing what it describes as "baseless" restrictions on academic freedom, to reinstate Kalkstein to his tenured position, and to seek monetary damages. West Point officials acknowledged awareness of the allegations and stated they take such matters seriously.
Former President Donald Trump has publicly criticized scientific consensus on human contributions to climate change, labeling it a "con job" during a U.N. General Assembly speech in September 2025. Since resuming office, he has worked to reverse initiatives aimed at reducing carbon emissions and promoting renewable energy.
Kalkstein's lawsuit is the second filed by a civilian faculty member at West Point since Trump’s second term began; Tim Bakkan, a law professor, filed a lawsuit in September 2025 regarding the prohibition of certain books and courses, claiming it violated the First Amendment. This case is still pending.
Michael Sussman, Kalkstein’s attorney, characterized him as a conservative without a political agenda behind the federal lawsuit. "He’s a person who has a great deal of dedication to West Point and the cadets," Sussman said.
Kalkstein's tenure came under scrutiny in May 2025 when he was informed that his position would be terminated as part of a reduction in force, affecting two civilian professors. Approximately 20% of the 500 faculty members at West Point are civilians.
During this time, West Point established a new Center for the Humanities, indicating a need for more geographers, which led Kalkstein to suspect that his expertise in climate change was a factor in his dismissal. He was allowed to remain at West Point as a term employee funded by his grant money, but he had to relinquish his tenure and a severance package. At that time, he held a $750,000 grant to research weather systems for troop protection.
The directive against teaching human contributions to climate change was first mentioned in a September 2025 geography program meeting while Kalkstein was teaching climatology. The lawsuit states that understanding human impact on the atmosphere is a fundamental aspect of the course.
Despite his concerns about the potential impact on his colleagues who would inherit his courses, Kalkstein chose to remain under the new restrictions. However, during the November meeting, he reiterated his concerns about misleading cadets. The dean reportedly responded by stating that Trump, as commander in chief, sets the agenda for West Point, and the meeting concluded with the dean leaving abruptly.
At the end of the spring semester, Kalkstein was informed that his contract would not be renewed, with the rationale cited as "poor character and temperament," referencing the November meeting. Throughout this period, Kalkstein attempted to communicate with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth through his chain of command, but Sussman indicated that his correspondence did not leave the campus.
Kalkstein argued that the politicization of climate change under President Biden has complicated the distinction between fact and fiction in the field. He emphasized the significance of studying human-induced climate change for national security, stating, "How can our country compete with the Russians in the Arctic if we ignore what’s causing the present-day melting?"