Canada, other nations emerging as science safe havens as U.S. funding falters under Trump
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But today, that system is being shaken.
Since President Donald Trump took office in January, his administration has pointed to what it calls waste and inefficiency in federal science spending and made major cuts to staff levels and grant funding at the National Science Foundation, the National Institutes of Health, NASA and other agencies, as well as slashing research dollars that flow to some private universities.
The White House budget proposal for next year calls to cut the NIH budget by roughly 40 per cent and the National Science Foundation's by 55 per cent.
'The Trump administration is spending its first few months reviewing the previous administration's projects, identifying waste, and realigning our research spending to match the American people's priorities and continue our innovative dominance,' said White House spokesperson Kush Desai.
Already, several universities have announced hiring freezes, laid off staff or stopped admitting new graduate students. On Thursday, the Trump administration revoked Harvard University's ability to enroll international students, though a judge put that on hold.
Research institutions abroad are watching with concern for collaborations that depend on colleagues in the U.S. — but they also see opportunities to potentially poach talent.
'There are threats to science … south of the border,' said Brad Wouters, of University Health Network, Canada's leading hospital and medical research center, which launched the 'Canada Leads' recruitment drive. 'There's a whole pool of talent, a whole cohort that is being affected by this moment.'
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Japan Forward
20 minutes ago
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China Backs Students to Influence Japan's Research and Academia
In the United States, concerns about Chinese influence on university campuses have escalated. US authorities have scrutinized institutions like Harvard for accepting large donations from entities linked to the Chinese government, and have arrested researchers with ties to China for concealing affiliations with its military. The FBI has repeatedly warned that the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) is systematically targeting American universities to acquire cutting-edge technology and sensitive research. Washington is tightening oversight on foreign scholars and funding, and Japan is now facing a similar dilemma, yet seems far less prepared. Japan is ramping up support for foreign doctoral students, offering up to ¥2.9 million JPY ($20,040 USD) per year. However, one question looms large: Who exactly is benefiting? According to university professor Rui Sasaki, the answer is increasingly "Chinese students," and he argues that's a dangerous trend Japan can no longer ignore. "Over 40% of these government-supported doctoral students are Chinese," Sasaki explained in a recent interview with JAPAN Forward. "Meanwhile, Japanese students are being left behind. It's both unfair and risky." University of Tokyo's Akamon Gate Sasaki points to the swelling ranks of Chinese students at top universities such as the University of Tokyo, Kyoto University, and Waseda. What may seem like a benign form of international exchange, he warns, actually carries national security implications. "China isn't a G7 country," he said. "It's a dictatorship. We must face that reality." At the center of his concern is the CSC, the China Scholarship Council. Thousands of Chinese students abroad, including in Japan, are funded under this program. But there's a catch: recipients must sign secret contracts pledging loyalty to the Chinese government. "Their families are restricted from leaving China. Embassies and consulates monitor them and they must submit regular reports," Sasaki said. 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Winnipeg Free Press
a day ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
Greenland and Iceland saw record heat in May. What does that mean for the world?
Human-caused climate change boosted Iceland and Greenland 's temperatures by several degrees during a record-setting May heat wave, raising concerns about the far-reaching implications melting Arctic ice has for weather around the world, scientists said in an analysis released Wednesday. The Greenland ice sheet melted many times faster than normal during the heat wave, according to the analysis by World Weather Attribution, with at least two communities seeing record temperatures for May. Parts of Iceland saw temperatures more than 10°C (18 °F) above average, and the country set a record for its warmest temperature in May when Egilsstadir Airport hit 26.6°C (79.9 F) on May 15. The findings come as global leaders put more focus on Greenland, a semi-autonomous territory of Denmark, following U.S. President Donald Trump's comments that he would like to annex the mineral-rich island. Burning fossil fuels for electricity and transportation releases pollutants such as carbon dioxide that cause the planet to warm unnaturally fast. The Arctic is one of the fastest-warming places on Earth. Even in today's climate, the occurrence of such a strong heat wave in the region is relatively rare, with a 1% chance of occurring in a year, the analysis said. But without human-caused climate change, such an event would be 'basically impossible,' said Friederike Otto, associate professor of climate science at Imperial College London, one of the report's authors. The extreme heat was 40 times more likely compared to the pre-industrial climate. Global impacts from a melting Arctic Otto said this extreme weather event affects the world. As the Greenland ice sheet melts, it releases massive amounts of fresh water into the salty oceans. Scientists say this could slow down the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation, an ocean current that circulates water from the Gulf of Mexico across the Atlantic Ocean to Europe and then the Arctic. Such a slowdown could disturb global climate and weather patterns. 'The nature of weather in the Northern Hemisphere is directly tied to what's happening in the Arctic, because that ice floor basically at the bottom of the atmosphere helps determine the weather patterns that we get,' said Waleed Abdalati, who heads an environmental sciences institute at the University of Colorado Boulder. He was not involved in the WWA analysis. The Greenland ice sheet and other ice covering the Arctic can influence where and when wind blows, how much water content the wind has and whether precipitation falls as rain or snow. Most of the melting of the Greenland ice sheet happens in June, July and August. The May heat wave means there will be a longer melting season this year. Melting ice sheets and glaciers also contribute to sea level rise that is threatening to flood coastlines globally and inundate low-lying island nations in the Pacific Ocean. Indigenous communities in Greenland are increasingly encountering dangerous travel conditions as sea ice that was once constantly frozen begins to thaw. Access to traditional hunting locations are lost, and sled dogs can no longer travel the same routes. Thawing permafrost can destabilize buildings and increases the risk of landslides and tsunamis caused by landslides. Greenland dismisses interest from U.S. Greenland was recently thrust onto the global stage with Trump's interest in annexing it. The Arctic island is rich with oil, gas and rare earth minerals, and its proximity to the U.S., Russia and Europe has geopolitical appeal. Greenland's Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen has said Greenland 'will never, ever be a piece of property that can be bought by just anyone.' Twila Moon, deputy lead scientist at the U.S. National Snow and Ice Data Center, said it is essential that Greenlanders lead decisions about their territory. 'Certainly an important part of this conversation is about climate change and climate impacts,' she said. She was not involved in the WWA analysis. Moon said the climate impacts Greenland is experiencing, particularly the warming global temperatures, stem from well-identified sources such as highly polluting nations and industries. She said actions such as converting to solar or wind energy and switching to transportation that emits less pollution create positive climate impacts for people far away. ___ The Associated Press' climate and environmental coverage receives financial support from multiple private foundations. AP is solely responsible for all content. Find AP's standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at
