Latest news with #AmericanGeophysicalUnion
Yahoo
05-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Trump's Gutting of US Climate Report Prompts Science Groups to Step Up
(Bloomberg) -- Two US science organizations are launching a new climate research initiative in the wake of the Trump administration dismissing expert authors of the National Climate Assessment. The Battle Over the Fate of Detroit's Renaissance Center NYC Real Estate Industry Asks Judge to Block New Broker Fee Law NJ Transit Strike Would Be 'Disaster' for Region, Sherrill Says Iceland Plans for a More Volcanic Future NJ Transit Urges Commuters to Work Remotely If Union Strikes Described in a May 2 statement by the groups as a 'first-of-its-kind special collection' of research on climate change in the US, the effort won't be able to replace the sweeping, congressionally mandated assessment, which was a year into its sixth iteration when its authors and staff were let go, said the American Geophysical Union and the American Meteorological Society. But they hope that it will help keep the work going. The groups will publish peer-reviewed manuscripts over their suite of publications rather than trying to replicate the report in a single volume, said Brandon Jones, president of the American Geophysical Union, the world's largest association of Earth and space scientists. The aim is to create a library of information that can be consulted by people in government, academia, philanthropy and business. 'The goal is to provide another platform for the important climate research to continue,' Jones said. The invitation is open to any scientists and researchers who want to contribute, he added. Recent editions of the landmark US report have outlined how the risks of wildfires, floods, heat waves and intense storms have been rising as greenhouse gases from the burning of fossil fuels cause the world to warm. Because it is comprehensive, the assessment has enabled the public and private sectors to prepare for the impacts of climate change, said David Stensrud, president of the 12,000-member American Meteorological Society. The latest edition, released in 2023, was almost 2,000 pages long with about 750 scientists and researchers contributing to it. There have been five completed assessments since Congress passed the Global Change Research Act of 1990. A sixth assessment would have been released in 2027 or 2028 and was being authored by hundreds of scientists working on a volunteer basis, coordinated by staff at the cross-agency US Global Change Research Program. The contract for those staff was terminated last month, according to multiple reports. The White House Office of Science and Technology Policy said the scope of the project is being reevaluated and all participants are released from their roles. 'Without this information our country risks flying blind into a world made more dangerous by human-caused climate change,' Rachel Cleetus, a report author and senior policy director for climate and energy at the Union of Concerned Scientists, said in a statement. The author dismissals come after months of financial and staff cuts at a variety of science-focused government entities including the National Science Foundation, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and its child agency the National Weather Service, as well as the Federal Emergency Management Agency, which is tasked with helping the public recover and rebuild from extreme weather and climate events. In January, President Donald Trump canceled the first National Nature Assessment, another report the Global Change Research Program coordinated, by revoking the Biden-era executive order that had authorized it. Made-in-USA Wheelbarrows Promoted by Trump Are Now Made in China 100 Moments You Might Have Missed From Trump's First 100 Days How an Israeli Hostage Negotiator Outsmarts Ransomware Hackers Can the Labubu Doll Craze Survive Trump's Tariffs? US Border Towns Are Being Ravaged by Canada's Furious Boycott ©2025 Bloomberg L.P.
Bloomberg
05-05-2025
- Science
- Bloomberg
Trump's Gutting of US Climate Report Prompts Science Groups to Step Up
Two US science organizations are launching a new climate research initiative in the wake of the Trump administration dismissing expert authors of the National Climate Assessment. Described in a May 2 statement by the groups as a 'first-of-its-kind special collection' of research on climate change in the US, the effort won't be able to replace the sweeping, congressionally mandated assessment, which was a year into its sixth iteration when its authors and staff were let go, said the American Geophysical Union and the American Meteorological Society. But they hope that it will help keep the work going.
Arabian Post
04-05-2025
- Politics
- Arabian Post
Scientists Launch Independent Climate Assessment After White House Dismisses Federal Report Contributors
Nearly 400 scientists and experts involved in the sixth National Climate Assessment were abruptly dismissed by the Trump administration, casting doubt on the future of the congressionally mandated report. The NCA, a comprehensive study produced every four years since 1990, guides federal and local governments in preparing for climate change impacts. The administration also disbanded the Global Change Research Program, which coordinated the NCA, and removed climate-related information from federal websites. In response, two major U.S. scientific societies—the American Meteorological Society and the American Geophysical Union —have announced a joint initiative to continue critical climate research. They plan to publish peer-reviewed studies addressing various aspects of climate change, including observations, projections, impacts, risks, and solutions. While this initiative will not replace the NCA, it aims to maintain momentum and provide a platform for ongoing climate assessments following the administration's cuts to federal climate research efforts. The dismissal of the NCA contributors has raised concerns among climate scientists and environmental groups about the administration's commitment to addressing climate change. The last NCA report, released in 2023, highlighted $150 billion in annual damages from extreme weather and emphasized the disproportionate impact on disadvantaged communities. Experts warn that discontinuing this assessment risks leaving the U.S. unprepared for climate-related challenges. The Trump administration's actions have been met with sharp criticism. Experts warn the move undermines scientific integrity, impairs national preparedness against climate-related disasters, and prioritizes the fossil fuel industry over scientific and public welfare. Advocates stress that suppressing facts does not mitigate climate risks and urge Congress to uphold its legal obligation to ensure the NCA proceeds with transparency and scientific rigor. The administration's proposed 2026 budget further reflects its stance on climate issues, prioritizing increased national security spending while slashing $163 billion in non-defense domestic programs, including cuts to climate initiatives. Concerns have also been raised over funding reductions to public broadcasters and efforts to eliminate school desegregation orders. Amid rising fears of an economic downturn influenced by Trump's aggressive trade policies, the job market showed unexpected strength with 177,000 new jobs in April, though consumer confidence remains low. Wall Street marked its longest streak of gains since 2004, buoyed by positive employment data. The Trump administration's dismissal of the NCA contributors and the disbanding of the Global Change Research Program have raised concerns among climate scientists and environmental groups about the administration's commitment to addressing climate change. The last NCA report, released in 2023, highlighted $150 billion in annual damages from extreme weather and emphasized the disproportionate impact on disadvantaged communities. Experts warn that discontinuing this assessment risks leaving the U.S. unprepared for climate-related challenges. The American Meteorological Society and the American Geophysical Union's joint initiative to continue critical climate research aims to maintain momentum and provide a platform for ongoing climate assessments following the administration's cuts to federal climate research efforts. They plan to publish peer-reviewed studies addressing various aspects of climate change, including observations, projections, impacts, risks, and solutions. While this initiative will not replace the NCA, it aims to maintain momentum and provide a platform for ongoing climate assessments following the administration's cuts to federal climate research efforts. The dismissal of the NCA contributors has raised concerns among climate scientists and environmental groups about the administration's commitment to addressing climate change. The last NCA report, released in 2023, highlighted $150 billion in annual damages from extreme weather and emphasized the disproportionate impact on disadvantaged communities. Experts warn that discontinuing this assessment risks leaving the U.S. unprepared for climate-related challenges. The Trump administration's actions have been met with sharp criticism. Experts warn the move undermines scientific integrity, impairs national preparedness against climate-related disasters, and prioritizes the fossil fuel industry over scientific and public welfare. Advocates stress that suppressing facts does not mitigate climate risks and urge Congress to uphold its legal obligation to ensure the NCA proceeds with transparency and scientific rigor. The administration's proposed 2026 budget further reflects its stance on climate issues, prioritizing increased national security spending while slashing $163 billion in non-defense domestic programs, including cuts to climate initiatives. Concerns have also been raised over funding reductions to public broadcasters and efforts to eliminate school desegregation orders. Amid rising fears of an economic downturn influenced by Trump's aggressive trade policies, the job market showed unexpected strength with 177,000 new jobs in April, though consumer confidence remains low. Wall Street marked its longest streak of gains since 2004, buoyed by positive employment data. The Trump administration's dismissal of the NCA contributors and the disbanding of the Global Change Research Program have raised concerns among climate scientists and environmental groups about the administration's commitment to addressing climate change. The last NCA report, released in 2023, highlighted $150 billion in annual damages from extreme weather and emphasized the disproportionate impact on disadvantaged communities. Experts warn that discontinuing this assessment risks leaving the U.S. unprepared for climate-related challenges. The American Meteorological Society and the American Geophysical Union's joint initiative to continue critical climate research aims to maintain momentum and provide a platform for ongoing climate assessments following the administration's cuts to federal climate research efforts. They plan to publish peer-reviewed studies addressing various aspects of climate change, including observations, projections, impacts, risks, and solutions. While this initiative will not replace the NCA, it aims to maintain momentum and provide a platform for ongoing climate assessments following the administration's cuts to federal climate research efforts. The dismissal of the NCA contributors has raised concerns among climate scientists and environmental groups about the administration's commitment to addressing climate change. The last NCA report, released in 2023, highlighted $150 billion in annual damages from extreme weather and emphasized the disproportionate impact on disadvantaged communities. Experts warn that discontinuing this assessment risks leaving the U.S. unprepared for climate-related challenges. See also Dubai to Convene Global Leaders for Green Economy Talks The Trump administration's actions have been met with sharp criticism. Experts warn the move undermines scientific integrity, impairs national preparedness against climate-related disasters, and prioritizes the fossil fuel industry over scientific and public welfare. Advocates stress that suppressing facts does not mitigate climate risks and urge Congress to uphold its legal obligation to ensure the NCA proceeds with transparency and scientific rigor. The administration's proposed 2026 budget further reflects its stance on climate issues, prioritizing increased national security spending while slashing $163 billion in non-defense domestic programs, including cuts to climate initiatives. Concerns have also been raised over funding reductions to public broadcasters and efforts to eliminate school desegregation orders. Amid rising fears of an economic downturn influenced by Trump's aggressive trade policies, the job market showed unexpected strength with 177,000 new jobs in April, though consumer confidence remains low. Wall Street marked its longest streak of gains since 2004, buoyed by positive employment data. The Trump administration's dismissal of the NCA contributors and the disbanding of the Global Change Research Program have raised concerns among climate scientists and environmental groups about the administration's commitment to addressing climate change. The last NCA report, released in 2023, highlighted $150 billion in annual damages from extreme weather and emphasized the disproportionate impact on disadvantaged communities. Experts warn that discontinuing this assessment risks leaving the U.S. unprepared for climate-related challenges. The American Meteorological Society and the American Geophysical Union's joint initiative to continue critical climate research aims to maintain momentum and provide a platform for ongoing climate assessments following the administration's cuts to federal climate research efforts. They plan to publish peer-reviewed studies addressing various aspects of climate change, including observations, projections, impacts, risks, and solutions. While this initiative will not replace the NCA, it aims to maintain momentum and provide a platform for ongoing climate assessments following the administration's cuts to federal climate research efforts. The dismissal of the NCA contributors has raised concerns among climate scientists and environmental groups about the administration's commitment to addressing climate change. The last NCA report, released in 2023, highlighted $150 billion in annual damages from extreme weather and emphasized the disproportionate impact on disadvantaged communities. Experts warn that discontinuing this assessment risks leaving the U.S. unprepared for climate-related challenges. The Trump administration's actions have been met with sharp criticism. Experts warn the move undermines scientific integrity, impairs national preparedness against climate-related disasters, and prioritizes the fossil fuel industry over scientific and public welfare. Advocates stress that suppressing facts does not mitigate climate risks and urge Congress to uphold its legal obligation to ensure the NCA proceeds with transparency and scientific rigor. ____________________________________
CBS News
02-05-2025
- Science
- CBS News
After Trump dismisses hundreds of scientists working on climate report, two groups say they'll publish their work
After the Trump administration dismissed nearly 400 scientists who compile the nation's major quadrennial report on the impacts of climate change in the U.S., two scientific groups announced a plan to publish a special collection focused on the subject to ensure the scientists' work can be accessed. The American Geophysical Union, the world's largest association of earth and space scientists, and the American Meteorological Society, the professional society for atmospheric and related sciences and services, announced they would be inviting climate scientists and researchers to submit their work for what they said would be a "first of its kind" collection. The groups say their collection isn't meant to replace the National Climate Assessment, but would complement it, since the dismissal of hundreds of scientists suggests that the next National Climate Assessment may not be as extensive as the previous ones. The Trump administration is legally obligated to produce the assessment, but the White House told CBS News that it's evaluating the scope of the assessment that it will publish. The National Climate Assessment is a major publication produced every four years that summarizes the impacts of climate change in the U.S., and it is congressionally mandated under the Global Change Research Act of 1990. The sixth edition is scheduled for publication in 2027, and preparations have been underway for months to meet that deadline. The assessment helps federal, state and local governments and businesses to prepare for the impacts of climate change and adapt to and mitigate challenges arising from climate change. American Meteorological Society president David Stensrud praised the National Climate Assessment as "a comprehensive, rigorous integration and evaluation of the latest climate science knowledge that decision makers — from government at all levels to private enterprise — need in order to understand the world in which we live." He said it's "vital to support and help expand this collaborative scientific effort" to benefit the U.S. and the world. The American Geophysical Union and American Meteorological Society told CBS News in an email that their new effort will be a "collection of scientific papers from across multiple journals that address a particular topic," and the focus on the collection will be climate change in the United States. American Geophysical Union president Brandon Jones said in a statement, "This collaboration provides a critical pathway for a wide range of researchers to come together and provide the science needed to support the global enterprise pursuing solutions to climate change." The two organizations will open the effort to any scientists who want to submit original work or review articles. Authors who were released from writing the sixth National Climate Assessment are being encouraged to participate and submit their work. The AGU and AMS have not determined when this new collection of climate change research will be published. The groups told CBS News in an email that it's likely to take months, or even years, to produce the full catalogue of research, since every submission will need to undergo a rigorous peer-review process.
Yahoo
02-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Private organizations step up to do science that was cut back by the Trump administration
After the Trump administration dismissed hundreds of authors working on the next National Climate Assessment, two science societies announced an effort to publish a special collection of climate change research in its stead. The Trump administration notified researchers earlier this week that their work was no longer needed on the National Climate Assessment, a congressionally mandated report that summarizes the effects of global climate change in the United States. The report's future is no longer clear and some authors have expressed concern that it will be whittled down, unscientific or inadequate in expressing the risks of climate change. 'I'm certainly concerned it might be fulfilled in a way that's less rigorous and evidence-based,' said Robert Kopp, a professor of Earth and planetary sciences at Rutgers University, who was one of the recently dismissed National Climate Assessment authors. In the wake of the administration's action, the American Geophysical Union (AGU) and American Meteorological Society (AMS) announced Friday that they would develop a special collection of research focused on climate, according to a news release from both organizations. The new collection, to be spread among more than two dozen peer-reviewed journals, is designed to 'sustain the momentum' of the work being done on the National Climate Assessment after the authors and staff were dismissed, the news release said. In a statement, AGU President Brandon Jones said the special collection was not a 'replacement' for the National Climate Assessment, but that it offered 'a unique opportunity to publish new research and review articles that could underpin a U.S.-focused climate assessment.' The White House declined to comment on record on why National Climate Assessment authors were released, and what the administration's plans are for the National Climate Assessment. The Global Change Research Act of 1990 requires the U.S. Global Change Research Program (USGCRP) to submit a report every four years to the president and Congress, and the National Climate Assessment has fulfilled that obligation in the past. It contains a summary of the best available science about the physics of climate change, its effects on the United States and how society is adapting. The report also contains localized climate predictions for different regions of the United States, which are meant to give the public a better idea of the risks facing their communities. The most recent version of the report, which was released in 2023, was about 2,200 pages and contained 37 chapters. The 2023 assessment said the Lower 48 states had warmed by 2.5 degrees Fahrenheit on average since 1970 and that the country was dealing with increasingly extreme weather and costly disasters. 'If you're a state official, a businessperson or a member of the general public who wants to understand what is it we know about climate change and the economy, or climate change and coasts, or climate change and human health, you can't do that by reading 200 peer-reviewed papers,' Kopp said, adding that the National Climate Assessment synthesizes climate science and organizes the main findings. While the National Climate Assessment is the product of hundreds of researchers who volunteer their time, the report has been organized by staffers at USGCRP. In April, the White House ended funding for that organization. 'I have no ideas for what the plan is and I don't think anybody does,' Kopp said. 'They released all the authors and the staff of the Global Change Research Program, so that part of the government is vacant now.' A message on the USGCRP website now says: 'The operations and structure of the USGCRP are currently under review.' Kopp said the National Climate Assessment authors had spent about a year outlining chapters to include in the 2027 report, and reviewing themes to include. The outline had already been sent to federal agencies for review. Authors of the report are now assessing how that outline could be transferred. 'You're not going to be able to replicate the NCA unless there's an organization willing to step up and staff up,' Kopp said. This article was originally published on
