President Trump is gutting climate science programs across the government, significantly curtailing the country's ability to track — let alone respond to — the unfolding climate crisis.
Scott Waldman reports for E&E News.
In short:
- Hundreds of federal climate scientists have been fired or sidelined, and programs essential for tracking global warming — from NASA satellites to U.S. Environmental Protection Agency climate monitoring — are being dismantled.
- The administration justifies the cuts as cost-saving, but many of the targeted programs are inexpensive and critical for everything from hurricane forecasting to public health.
- New rules would give political appointees the power to decide what science the government can use, echoing Trump’s pandemic-era strategy of suppressing data that contradicts his message.
Key quote:
“They hate science because it leads to regulation, so they want to do everything they can to stop science from being used to regulate.”
— Andrew Dessler, climate scientist at Texas A&M University
Why this matters:
Back when COVID-19 was tearing across the country, President Trump had a go-to move: deny the science, then silence the scientists. His administration has been running the same playbook on climate change — and now the damage is emerging. Stripped of data, expertise, and, often, the ability to communicate openly with the public, public health officials, emergency responders, and frontline communities are left trying to navigate the climate crisis without a complete map.
Read more: Nearly one million US deaths from COVID-19—the grim consequences of sidelining science
