After his own administration published a report on climate change compiled by 13 federal agencies, Donald Trump said: "I don't believe it".

Mr Trump, on his way to Mississippi, was incredulous about the National Climate Assessment report which was released late last week during the Thanksgiving holiday. He said he had "read some of it and it's fine".

The report highlighted the dire economic effects of not taking steps to combat climate change and contain global warming to 2 C.

The nearly 1,700-page document is required by Congress every four years and is one of the most comprehensive studies regarding the effect of climate change on US coastlines, infrastructure, public health, and the American economy.

The report detailed how natural disasters "have already become more frequent, intense, widespread or of long duration" because of climate change and global warming, phenomena the president has repeatedly called "a hoax" and often said is perpetrated by China.

Natural disasters have, according to the report, cost the US more than $400bn (£312bn) since 2015. Hurricane Michael earlier this year alone decimated Georgia's agricultural sector to the tune of $5bn.

Donald Trump says he thinks climate change will 'change back'

Jonathan Overpeck, Dean of the University of Michigan School for Environment and Sustainability, told The Independent in a statement: "The National Climate Assessment report represents the official scientific word on climate change from the US government and represents the state of science knowledge well. Climate change is caused by humans, mainly through the burning of fossil fuels, and is already having costly impacts on our nation".

William K Reilly, who led the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) under President George W Bush told the New York Times the administration immediate reaction to ignore the report was "a new frontier of disavowance of science, of disdain for facts".

10 photographs to show to anyone who doesn't believe in climate change Show all 10 1 /10 10 photographs to show to anyone who doesn't believe in climate change 10 photographs to show to anyone who doesn't believe in climate change A group of emperor penguins face a crack in the sea ice, near McMurdo Station, Antarctica Kira Morris 10 photographs to show to anyone who doesn't believe in climate change Floods destroyed eight bridges and ruined crops such as wheat, maize and peas in the Karimabad valley in northern Pakistan, a mountainous region with many glaciers. In many parts of the world, glaciers have been in retreat, creating dangerously large lakes that can cause devastating flooding when the banks break. Climate change can also increase rainfall in some areas, while bringing drought to others. Hira Ali 10 photographs to show to anyone who doesn't believe in climate change Smoke – filled with the carbon that is driving climate change – drifts across a field in Colombia. Sandra Rondon 10 photographs to show to anyone who doesn't believe in climate change Amid a flood in Islampur, Jamalpur, Bangladesh, a woman on a raft searches for somewhere dry to take shelter. Bangladesh is one of the most vulnerable places in the world to sea level rise, which is expected to make tens of millions of people homeless by 2050. Probal Rashid 10 photographs to show to anyone who doesn't believe in climate change Sindh province in Pakistan has experienced a grim mix of two consequences of climate change. “Because of climate change either we have floods or not enough water to irrigate our crop and feed our animals,” says the photographer. “Picture clearly indicates that the extreme drought makes wide cracks in clay. Crops are very difficult to grow.” Rizwan Dharejo 10 photographs to show to anyone who doesn't believe in climate change Hanna Petursdottir examines a cave inside the Svinafellsjokull glacier in Iceland, which she said had been growing rapidly. Since 2000, the size of glaciers on Iceland has reduced by 12 per cent. Tom Schifanella 10 photographs to show to anyone who doesn't believe in climate change A river once flowed along the depression in the dry earth of this part of Bangladesh, but it has disappeared amid rising temperatures. Abrar Hossain 10 photographs to show to anyone who doesn't believe in climate change A shepherd moves his herd as he looks for green pasture near the village of Sirohi in Rajasthan, northern India. The region has been badly affected by heatwaves and drought, making local people nervous about further predicted increases in temperature. Riddhima Singh Bhati 10 photographs to show to anyone who doesn't believe in climate change A factory in China is shrouded by a haze of air pollution. The World Health Organisation has warned such pollution, much of which is from the fossil fuels that cause climate change, is a “public health emergency”. Leung Ka Wa 10 photographs to show to anyone who doesn't believe in climate change Water levels in reservoirs, like this one in Gers, France, have been getting perilously low in areas across the world affected by drought, forcing authorities to introduce water restrictions. Mahtuf Ikhsan

The White House has said the report was "largely based on the extreme scenario" and dismissed it even as it was released. Not issuing the report would have been a violation of law.

As the New York Times reported after speaking with sources close to the matter: "The decision not to alter or suppress the report’s findings - despite its scientific conclusions so much at odds with the president’s policies - reflected a clear political calculus".

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The administration has downplayed the report without making it seem like they have altered any of the data, which is clearly not in support of Mr Trump's efforts to repeal legislation like the Clean Power Plan, which would have reduced the carbon emissions of US power plants by nearly a third, and another rule which sought to limit emissions by vehicle tailpipes.

The report comes just days after Mr Trump witnessed the effects of the deadly wildfires in California. During his presidency several devastating hurricanes have rocked Florida, North Carolina, South Carolina, Texas, and Puerto Rico as well, costly the federal government billions in disaster relief aid through the Federal Emergency Management Agency (Fema) and other means.

In 2017, Mr Trump also began the withdrawal process for the US to leave the Paris Agreement on climate change, a deal signed in 2015 by nearly 200 countries in order to curb global carbon emissions and limit global warming.