The Trump administration has dismissed nearly 400 contributors to the United States government’s key climate change report, the sixth National Climate Assessment (NCA6), a move that has sparked significant concern among climate experts. The report, mandated by Congress and due for publication in 2028, plays a crucial role in guiding federal and local governments on preparing for climate impacts such as extreme heat, hurricanes, flooding, and drought.

The contributors, primarily scientists and other experts, were informed of their dismissal via email on Monday. The email stated, “At this time, the scope of the NCA6 is being evaluated in accordance with the Global Change Research Act of 1990,” which is the legislative act that originally established the climate assessments under President George H.W. Bush. The future of the report is now uncertain following this action.

The National Climate Assessment has been coordinated by the Global Change Research Program, supported by NASA, which the Trump administration also dismissed earlier this month. This program had coordinated input from 14 federal agencies and from hundreds of external scientists. Since its inception, the National Climate Assessment reports have been published periodically since 2000 to provide comprehensive peer-reviewed analyses of climate science.

Dr Rachel Cleetus, senior policy director for the Climate and Energy Program at the Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS) and an NCA6 report author, criticised the administration’s decision. Speaking to The Guardian, she said, “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. People around the nation rely on the NCA to understand how climate change is impacting their daily lives already and what to expect in the future. 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 only beneficiaries of disrupting or killing this report are the fossil fuel industry … Congress must step up to ensure the report it requires by law is conducted with scientific integrity and delivered in a timely way.”

Erin Sikorsky, director of the Center for Climate and Security, a US thinktank, expressed concerns on social media, stating, “Pretending climate risks don’t exist doesn’t make them go away, unfortunately. This move puts Americans, our communities, and our security at risk.”

This action reflects a broader pattern by the Trump administration aimed at curtailing climate research while promoting increased fossil fuel exploitation. Federal websites have been scrubbed of information related to climate change and extreme weather, and related government agencies have faced reductions in size and scope. These developments have raised alarms about the potential impacts on public safety amid ongoing climate challenges.

Earlier in the year, the federal government also prevented US scientists from attending a United Nations’ Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) meeting, an organisation recognised as the foremost authority on climate science globally. Additionally, the government terminated its contract with ICF International, which had supported US involvement in the IPCC.

The Guardian is reporting on these developments in the context of the ongoing debate about climate policy and science in the United States under the current administration.

Source: Noah Wire Services