In April of last year, the Trump administration took drastic measures by halting a climate science report that had been in production for over two decades. The congressionally mandated National Climate Assessment (NCA) was designed to provide clear insights into the effects of climate change on the United States. Unfortunately, hundreds of scientists and researchers involved in the project were dismissed, undermining the nation’s capacity to confront this pressing issue.
In response to this setback, many of these scientists have come together to release the first in a series of reports that reflect on the advancements in climate research since the last NCA was published in 2023, while also outlining future research directions. This new initiative, called the U.S. Climate Collection, aims to inform the public about the evolving landscape of climate science. The report was simultaneously published in two prominent scientific journals, Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society and Earth’s Future, allowing it to reach a wider audience.
Contextualizing Climate Research
Although the U.S. Climate Collection does not replace the NCA, it provides essential context by examining the progress made in climate research during a time when the Trump administration referred to the climate crisis as a “hoax” and actively tried to undermine government research capabilities. “It’s been a number of years since the last National Climate Assessment, and this effort is intended to think about what we know, what has advanced since then and what emerging priorities need to be addressed,” remarked Melissa Kenney, a lead author of the report and director of research at the University of Minnesota’s Institute on the Environment, in an interview with Rolling Stone.
The report not only assesses advancements in climate science since the last NCA but also highlights critical areas needing further research. These include the compounding hazards of overlapping heatwaves and wildfire smoke, the economic impacts of climate change, and growing threats to agriculture. The findings indicate that human-induced greenhouse gas emissions are increasing the likelihood and severity of extreme weather events, which are already harming communities, economies, and ecosystems across the globe and within the United States.
Filling the Information Gap
Kenney emphasized the importance of regular assessments in the climate science community: “Without regular assessments, we risk making today’s decisions using yesterday’s climate information. A single study provides one line of evidence, but when we’re looking at hundreds of thousands of studies in synthesis and assessment research, we’re trying to connect the dots so that scientists can see the bigger picture, but also so that the public can see the bigger picture.”
Despite attempts from the Trump administration to diminish climate research efforts, the scientific community has taken strides to keep the public informed. Notably, after the administration dismantled climate.gov, a website aimed at educating the public about climate science, a group of laid-off scientists relaunched it at a new web address to ensure that valuable information remains accessible.
Costa Samaras, a professor of civil and environmental engineering at Carnegie Mellon University and collaborator on the new climate report, stated, “The science community has a deep connection to, and responsibility to, the broader public to keep the public informed of risks, whether those risks are in climate, in health, in security or in AI. The broader scientific research community is stepping in when the government is falling short.”
Ongoing Advocacy for Scientific Integrity
Throughout Trump’s presidency, the scientific community has faced numerous challenges, including significant funding cuts to research institutions. As reported by The New York Times, the administration withheld approximately $1.4 billion in research funding from the National Science Foundation last year alone. Additionally, Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency has resulted in the layoffs of numerous government scientists and the cancellation of over 1,600 research grants.
Robert Kopp, another author of the new climate report and climate scientist at Rutgers University, highlighted the scientists’ resistance against these hindrances in a recent article for The New Republic. He described how the climate research community has begun organizing to promote genuine science and maintain U.S. participation in the global climate science community.
Samaras underscores the importance of timely information: “Just because a threat is not articulated by the federal government doesn’t mean the threat’s going away. It just means folks don’t know about it, or don’t know as much about it. The field of climate science did not stop just because the administration is not proceeding with a National Climate Assessment on the same schedule.”
Samaras notes that informed decisions are critical at various levels of government. “A county manager or a state government needs to know how high a seawall should be, how much rain they should design their roads to withstand, and how to protect residents from extreme heat.” Without current research insights, lawmakers risk implementing infrastructure based on outdated climate data. He warns, “We’re putting in infrastructure to last for the next 50 years that is designed for the weather of the past.”
