Experts criticize the Trump administration’s unexpected decision to release all personnel involved in the vital National Climate Assessment, leaving the future of climate reporting in peril.
All Contributors of Key U.S. Climate Report Discharged by Administration
All Contributors of Key U.S. Climate Report Discharged by Administration
The dismissal raises concerns about the future and effectiveness of the National Climate Assessment required by Congress.
April 28, 2025, 7:28 p.m. ET - The Trump administration has taken a significant and controversial step by discharging hundreds of scientists and climate experts who were engaged in producing the National Climate Assessment (NCA), a crucial report mandated by Congress. This move has elicited strong concerns regarding the continuity and integrity of this comprehensive assessment of global warming's impact across various sectors of American life.
Since its inception in 2000, the NCA has provided critical insights, published roughly every four years, detailing the ramifications of rising global temperatures on public health, agriculture, fisheries, and many other components tied to the U.S. economy. The last report released in 2023 serves as a vital resource for state and local governments as well as private enterprises preparing for climate-induced emergencies such as floods, heatwaves, and droughts.
This past Monday, researchers who were in the early stages of planning the upcoming sixth national climate assessment, slated for release in 2028, received an unexpected notification. The message informed them that the administration was re-evaluating the report's scope and concurrently terminating all current contributors.
The email stated, "We are now releasing all current assessment participants from their roles. As plans develop for the assessment, there may be future opportunities to contribute or engage. Thank you for your service.” For many involved in the project, especially those engaged in previous assessments, this dismissal represents a potential terminal setback for the next report's progress.
Jesse Keenan, a Tulane University professor who specializes in climate adaptation and was a co-author on the last climate assessment, remarked, “This is as close as it gets to a termination of the assessment. If you get rid of all the people involved, nothing's moving forward.” This shift, seen as a political maneuver, raises immediate questions about the integrity and future viability of pivotal climate research in the United States, further echoing the ongoing tensions around climate policy within the current administration.
Since its inception in 2000, the NCA has provided critical insights, published roughly every four years, detailing the ramifications of rising global temperatures on public health, agriculture, fisheries, and many other components tied to the U.S. economy. The last report released in 2023 serves as a vital resource for state and local governments as well as private enterprises preparing for climate-induced emergencies such as floods, heatwaves, and droughts.
This past Monday, researchers who were in the early stages of planning the upcoming sixth national climate assessment, slated for release in 2028, received an unexpected notification. The message informed them that the administration was re-evaluating the report's scope and concurrently terminating all current contributors.
The email stated, "We are now releasing all current assessment participants from their roles. As plans develop for the assessment, there may be future opportunities to contribute or engage. Thank you for your service.” For many involved in the project, especially those engaged in previous assessments, this dismissal represents a potential terminal setback for the next report's progress.
Jesse Keenan, a Tulane University professor who specializes in climate adaptation and was a co-author on the last climate assessment, remarked, “This is as close as it gets to a termination of the assessment. If you get rid of all the people involved, nothing's moving forward.” This shift, seen as a political maneuver, raises immediate questions about the integrity and future viability of pivotal climate research in the United States, further echoing the ongoing tensions around climate policy within the current administration.
