Concerns Over National Climate Assessment Amid Funding Cuts by Trump Administration

The Trump administration's cuts to the funding and staffing of the National Climate Assessment, mandated by Congress, spark worries among experts regarding the assessment's ability to properly analyze the effects of climate change, despite ongoing legal obligations to produce it.

The Trump administration has made significant cuts to the funding and personnel involved in producing the National Climate Assessment, a crucial report that evaluates the impacts of climate change on various sectors of the U.S. economy. These cuts have led to concerns from scientists about the feasibility of producing the report, which is required by Congress to be released every four years.

The National Climate Assessment analyzes how rising temperatures are affecting human health, agriculture, energy production, water resources, and transportation. The most recent assessment was published in 2023 and serves as a vital resource for state governments and private sector organizations preparing for the implications of global warming.

Oversight of the climate assessment falls under the Global Change Research Program, a federal initiative established by Congress in 1990. This program collaborates with NASA, various federal agencies, the Smithsonian Institution, and external scientists to compile the report.

On April 9, NASA announced in a public statement that it had issued stop-work orders on contracts with ICF International, the consulting firm primarily responsible for providing technical expertise and staffing for the Global Change Research Program. ICF had been contracted for five years at a cost of over $33 million and had been supplying about two dozen staff members who contributed to the climate assessment alongside federal employees detailed from other government agencies.

Experts are left questioning how the assessment process will continue without ICF's vital support. Donald Wuebbles, an atmospheric sciences professor at the University of Illinois and a contributor to past assessments, expressed skepticism regarding the future of the National Climate Assessment, stating, "It's hard to see how they're going to put out a National Climate Assessment now. But it is still mandated by Congress."

In response to the funding cuts, a NASA spokesperson remarked that the agency is "streamlining its contract providing technical, analytical and programmatic support for the U.S. Global Change Research Program" to adhere to President Trump's executive orders. They indicated that NASA would coordinate with the White House to determine the best method for maintaining the congressionally mandated program while enhancing efficiency across the myriad agencies and advisory committees involved in the initiative.