William Happer, an outspoken skeptic of climate change, is leaving his position as a senior director on the National Security Council later this week, according to E&E News.

The news of his departure comes just a day after Trump announced that national security adviser John Bolton John BoltonJudge appears skeptical of Bolton's defense of publishing book without White House approval Maximum pressure is keeping US troops in Iraq and Syria Woodward book trails Bolton, Mary Trump in first-week sales MORE was leaving his administration. Bolton's spokesperson is also reportedly exiting.

ADVERTISEMENT

Happer's decision to leave comes after he failed to persuade President Trump Donald John TrumpFederal prosecutor speaks out, says Barr 'has brought shame' on Justice Dept. Former Pence aide: White House staffers discussed Trump refusing to leave office Progressive group buys domain name of Trump's No. 1 Supreme Court pick MORE to conduct an "adversarial" review of research on climate change. His effort to challenge the government's position on climate change was scuttled earlier this year after facing obstacles from officials in the White House, according to E&E.

Happer, a prominent atomic physics professor at Princeton University, has repeatedly questioned the effect of human activity on climate change. Despite having no formal training in climate science, Happer entered the Trump administration in September 2018 with well-known positions that pushed back against the scientific community's understanding of global warming.

He asked the American Physical Society more than a decade ago to change its position on climate change to one that raised doubts about it. The request was rejected. He also wrote a Wall Street Journal op-ed in 2013 arguing that carbon dioxide production was "a boon to plant life."

He asserted that CO2 levels had "little correlation with global temperature."

In addition, Happer has argued that the world is in a carbon dioxide "drought" and that burning more fossil fuels will make the Earth more habitable, E&E reported.

The news outlet noted that Happer earlier this year played a role in blocking a State Department official from giving written testimony to Congress warning that climate change posed a national security threat.

"After distinguished public service on the National Security Council staff for the past year, Dr. William Happer is returning to academia. We wish him well and thank him for his tireless efforts to ensure that the Trump Administration’s policies and decision-making were based on transparent and defensible science," a National Security Council spokesman said in a statement to The Hill.

The Trump administration has made a sustained effort to roll back many of the environmental regulations Barack Obama Barack Hussein ObamaDemocrats ramp up pressure on Lieberman to drop out of Georgia Senate race The Hill's Campaign Report: Biden on Trump: 'He'll leave' l GOP laywers brush off Trump's election remarks l Obama's endorsements Trump pledges to make Juneteenth a federal holiday, designate KKK a terrorist group in pitch to Black voters MORE imposed during his time as president. Trump has repeatedly voiced skeptical views of climate change.

--This report was updated at 3:16 p.m.