Floods in Tarpon Springs, Florida, after Hurricane Helene crossed the offshore in September 2024. Sea level rise due to climate change means coastal flooding is worse and happens more frequently. The White House rejects about 400 scientists and other climate experts who are studying major reports on how climate change affects the United States Joe Raedle/Getty Images North America Closed subtitles
The Trump administration has rejected scientists working on the country's flagship climate report, a move that has the potential to reduce climate science and provide information on global warming for public use.
this National climate assessment It is the most trusted and comprehensive source of information on how global warming affects the United States. it Answer FAQs Regarding the rate of sea level rise near U.S. cities, rainfall is normal in different regions, and how to deal with wildfire smoke.
The assessment is authorized by Congress and its sixth version should be released by the end of 2027. About 400 volunteer writers have already started working. They include top scientists at nonprofit organizations and companies as well as economists, tribal leaders and climate experts.
On Tuesday, the author received an email to release it from the role and said: “The scope of (national climate assessment) is currently being reassessed.”
The White House did not answer questions about why the author was dismissed or what elements of the scope of the report were being re-evaluated.
"I think Americans should be upset and should care about this decision, and it's more than just a report," said Dave White, a sustainability researcher at Arizona State University.
Assessment is widely used by everyone, from city planners to farmers to judges. “City water utilities (used) are prepared to address the effects of ongoing drought,” White said, and “when cooling plans are developed to reduce the risk of extreme calories in children, it informs primary schools.”
The final edition of the climate assessment, released in late 2023, also includes an online atlas that allows anyone to zoom in and see how climate change will affect their local communities.
“It is important to know what and who are at risk,” explains Rachel Cleetus of the Alliance of Scientists. "Not only in the general sense, but in the localized sense. Without this information, we will fly blindly."
For example, Cleetus should conduct an evaluation chapter on the evaluation chapter on sea level rise and the coastal impact of warmer planets. Sea level rise is accelerating overall, but in different cities across the United States, the amount of water has fundamentally increased
Congress requires the national climate assessment to appear every four years, although not always published by time in the case of the previous Republican administration. In 2008, the George W. Bush administration released a four-year late version of the assessment, and only after the lawsuit was forced to do so.
Even before President Trump takes office, his administration may seek to undermine the latest version of the assessment. Russell Vought, who now leads the White House Office of Management and Budget, previously advocated major changes to the office that oversees the national climate assessment.