Latest news with #USGlobalChangeResearchProgram
Free Malaysia Today
20-05-2025
- Politics
- Free Malaysia Today
US climate assessment thrown into doubt as Trump dismisses authors
The decision marked the latest flashpoint in Donald Trump's extensive efforts to reshape the US scientific landscape. (AP pic) WASHINGTON : President Donald Trump's administration on Monday disbanded the authors of the US' premier climate report, a move scientists said threatens to derail a critical assessment mandated by Congress and vital to the nation's preparedness against global warming. In an email sent to contributors of the Sixth National Climate Assessment (NCA6), the administration said the report's 'scope' was being 'reevaluated' and informed participants they were being 'released from their roles,' with no timeline offered for potential reengagement. The decision follows mass firings earlier this month at the US Global Change Research Program (USGCRP), the federal body overseeing the congressionally required report, and marks the latest flashpoint in Trump's sweeping efforts to reshape the federal government, particularly in the realm of science. Rachel Cleetus, a senior policy director at the Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS) and a former author on NCA6's chapter on coastal impacts, blasted the move as reckless and politically motivated. 'Today, the Trump administration senselessly took a hatchet to a crucial and comprehensive US climate science report by dismissing its authors without cause or a plan,' Cleetus said in a statement. 'Trying to bury this report won't alter the scientific facts one bit, but without this information, our country risks flying blind into a world made more dangerous by human-caused climate change.' The White House did not respond to a request for comment. Other authors also took to social media to confirm they had received identical notices, expressing frustration and alarm over the unprecedented disruption of the scientific process. Since returning to office, Trump has embarked on an aggressive overhaul of federal institutions, firing thousands of civil servants, including climate scientists and public health experts. It has also steered agencies such as the Environmental Protection Agency, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), and the National Institutes of Health away from climate and environmental research. The disruption of NCA6 comes at a perilous time: global temperatures have begun to breach 1.5C of warming above preindustrial levels, according to recent international analyses, fuelling worsening wildfires, droughts, floods, and storms across the US. The National Climate Assessment, first published in 2000, is a cornerstone of US government climate understanding, synthesising input from federal agencies and hundreds of external scientists. Previous iterations have warned in stark terms of mounting risks to America's economy, infrastructure, and health if greenhouse gas emissions are not curtailed. While not directly prescriptive on policy, the reports have served as critical guideposts for lawmakers, businesses, and local governments planning climate resilience measures. Under the Global Change Research Act of 1990, the federal government is legally obligated to deliver the climate assessment to Congress and the president. It remains unclear whether the administration's actions will ultimately delay, compromise, or cancel the report entirely.
United News of India
29-04-2025
- Politics
- United News of India
Trump administration sacks all authors of lead climate report
World Washington, Apr 29 (UNI) US President Donald Trump's administration has sacked all scientists and other authors working on the next authoritative look at how climate change is affecting the United States. The move will allow the administration to either skip the congressionally mandated report altogether, or pursue an alternative, potentially far more sceptical take on what is otherwise widely accepted climate science, CNN reported. The last National Climate Assessment in 2023 found that climate change is already transforming every region of theUS, with more frequent and intense extreme weather events and a slew of other costly and harmful effects. During the first Trump administration, the Fourth Assessment came out after being worked on mainly under the Obama White House. Trump officials sought to deep-six the findings by publishing it the day after Thanksgiving. Congress mandated these reports — conducted by a mix of federal and outside scientists under the US Global Change Research Program — be produced every four years. The next is due by 2027. UNI SSP
Yahoo
29-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Trump administration dismisses all authors of major climate report, throwing US assessment into limbo
The Trump administration has dismissed all the scientists and other authors working on the next authoritative look at how climate change is affecting the United States, according to an email sent to authors Monday and confirmed by CNN. The move will allow the administration to either skip the congressionally mandated report altogether, or pursue an alternative, potentially far more skeptical take on what is otherwise widely accepted climate science. The latter would fly in the face of the overwhelming scientific evidence pointing to the threats global warming poses to the US. The last National Climate Assessment came out in 2023. It found that climate change is already transforming every region of the country, with more frequent and intense extreme weather events and a slew of other costly and harmful effects. During the first Trump administration, the Fourth Assessment came out after being worked on mainly under the Obama White House. Trump officials sought to deep-six the findings by publishing it the day after Thanksgiving. Congress mandated these reports — conducted by a mix of federal and outside scientists under the US Global Change Research Program — be produced every four years. The next is due by 2027. Before the dismissal of about 400 authors slated to work on the next iteration, NASA had already canceled a key contract with the consulting firm ICF to support the US Global Change Research Program, which produces the reports. This was an early indication of trouble in the assessment process. Climate scientists told CNN the reports are uniquely valuable for officials at the regional, state and local levels, and expressed concern over the potential for an alternative report featuring fringe scientific views. 'Losing this report makes us less prepared for extreme weather, wildfire, sea level rise and other important changes we face on a warming planet,' said Dustin Mulvaney, a professor at San Jose State University who was slated to be a contributing author to the sixth assessment report. Meade Krosby, a climate scientist at the University of Washington, told CNN the reports are 'A crucial resource for communities, local and state governments, and businesses asking how climate change is affecting the things they care about now and into the future, and what can be done to reduce risks.' She said the reports' credibility, as products of every federal agency that works on climate change, plus outside experts, give it valuable credibility. 'What's at risk with this dismissal is not only the report itself, but its credibility if it moves forward without the experts that ensure its scientific integrity,' she said. 'Its loss or potential adulteration, if completed, would have real impact on the ability of our communities to understand and prepare for climate risks,' Krosby said. 'It's Congressionally mandated for a reason.' There is more than just the assessment process that may be modified, though, as the website for the Global Change Research Program states: 'The operations and structure of the USGCRP are currently under review.'
CNN
29-04-2025
- Politics
- CNN
Trump administration dismisses all authors of major climate report, throwing US assessment into limbo
The Trump administration has dismissed all the scientists and other authors working on the next authoritative look at how climate change is affecting the United States, according to an email sent to authors Monday and confirmed by CNN. The move will allow the administration to either skip the congressionally mandated report altogether, or pursue an alternative, potentially far more skeptical take on what is otherwise widely accepted climate science. The latter would fly in the face of the overwhelming scientific evidence pointing to the threats global warming poses to the US. The last National Climate Assessment came out in 2023. It found that climate change is already transforming every region of the country, with more frequent and intense extreme weather events and a slew of other costly and harmful effects. During the first Trump administration, the Fourth Assessment came out after being worked on mainly under the Obama White House. Trump officials sought to deep-six the findings by publishing it the day after Thanksgiving. Congress mandated these reports — conducted by a mix of federal and outside scientists under the US Global Change Research Program — be produced every four years. The next is due by 2027. Before the dismissal of about 400 authors slated to work on the next iteration, NASA had already canceled a key contract with the consulting firm ICF to support the US Global Change Research Program, which produces the reports. This was an early indication of trouble in the assessment process. Climate scientists told CNN the reports are uniquely valuable for officials at the regional, state and local levels, and expressed concern over the potential for an alternative report featuring fringe scientific views. 'Losing this report makes us less prepared for extreme weather, wildfire, sea level rise and other important changes we face on a warming planet,' said Dustin Mulvaney, a professor at San Jose State University who was slated to be a contributing author to the sixth assessment report. Meade Krosby, a climate scientist at the University of Washington, told CNN the reports are 'A crucial resource for communities, local and state governments, and businesses asking how climate change is affecting the things they care about now and into the future, and what can be done to reduce risks.' She said the reports' credibility, as products of every federal agency that works on climate change, plus outside experts, give it valuable credibility. 'What's at risk with this dismissal is not only the report itself, but its credibility if it moves forward without the experts that ensure its scientific integrity,' she said. 'Its loss or potential adulteration, if completed, would have real impact on the ability of our communities to understand and prepare for climate risks,' Krosby said. 'It's Congressionally mandated for a reason.' There is more than just the assessment process that may be modified, though, as the website for the Global Change Research Program states: 'The operations and structure of the USGCRP are currently under review.'
CNN
29-04-2025
- Politics
- CNN
Trump administration dismisses all authors of major climate report, throwing US assessment into limbo
Climate changeFacebookTweetLink Follow The Trump administration has dismissed all the scientists and other authors working on the next authoritative look at how climate change is affecting the United States, according to an email sent to authors Monday and confirmed by CNN. The move will allow the administration to either skip the congressionally mandated report altogether, or pursue an alternative, potentially far more skeptical take on what is otherwise widely accepted climate science. The latter would fly in the face of the overwhelming scientific evidence pointing to the threats global warming poses to the US. The last National Climate Assessment came out in 2023. It found that climate change is already transforming every region of the country, with more frequent and intense extreme weather events and a slew of other costly and harmful effects. During the first Trump administration, the Fourth Assessment came out after being worked on mainly under the Obama White House. Trump officials sought to deep-six the findings by publishing it the day after Thanksgiving. Congress mandated these reports — conducted by a mix of federal and outside scientists under the US Global Change Research Program — be produced every four years. The next is due by 2027. Before the dismissal of about 400 authors slated to work on the next iteration, NASA had already canceled a key contract with the consulting firm ICF to support the US Global Change Research Program, which produces the reports. This was an early indication of trouble in the assessment process. Climate scientists told CNN the reports are uniquely valuable for officials at the regional, state and local levels, and expressed concern over the potential for an alternative report featuring fringe scientific views. 'Losing this report makes us less prepared for extreme weather, wildfire, sea level rise and other important changes we face on a warming planet,' said Dustin Mulvaney, a professor at San Jose State University who was slated to be a contributing author to the sixth assessment report. Meade Krosby, a climate scientist at the University of Washington, told CNN the reports are 'A crucial resource for communities, local and state governments, and businesses asking how climate change is affecting the things they care about now and into the future, and what can be done to reduce risks.' She said the reports' credibility, as products of every federal agency that works on climate change, plus outside experts, give it valuable credibility. 'What's at risk with this dismissal is not only the report itself, but its credibility if it moves forward without the experts that ensure its scientific integrity,' she said. 'Its loss or potential adulteration, if completed, would have real impact on the ability of our communities to understand and prepare for climate risks,' Krosby said. 'It's Congressionally mandated for a reason.' There is more than just the assessment process that may be modified, though, as the website for the Global Change Research Program states: 'The operations and structure of the USGCRP are currently under review.'
