After website closure, Trump administration abandons plan to post climate reports on NASA site
The trump administration has reversed course on its promise to publicly host crucial change reports, making it more difficult for the public and local governments to access scientific data on the effects of a warming world. The reversal announced on July 14 comes after government websites that previously hosted the National Climate Assessments, legally mandated, peer-reviewed reports, were taken offline earlier in the month. At the time, the White House had stated that NASA would house the documents to comply with a 1990 law requiring their publication, per NPR.
However, NASA has now confirmed it will not host the data. In an email, NASA Press Secretary Bethany Stevens stated, "The USGCRP (the government agency that oversees and used to host the report) met its statutory requirements by presenting its reports to Congress. NASA has no legal obligations to host globalchange.gov's data." This statement contradicts a previous NASA announcement from July 3, which said, "All preexisting reports will be hosted on the NASA website, ensuring continuity of reporting."
The decision has drawn sharp criticism from scientists and former officials. Katharine Hayhoe, a climate scientist at Texas Tech and co-author of previous assessments, called the move a disservice to the public. "This document was written for the American people, paid for by the taxpayers, and it contains vital information we need to keep ourselves safe in a changing climate," she quoted.
John Holdren, a former science adviser in the Obama administration, accused the administration of a "classic Trump administration misdirection," suggesting the initial promise to use NASA was a temporary measure to "quell initial outrage" before quietly abandoning the plan. "They simply don't want the public to see the meticulously assembled and scientifically validated information about what climate change is already doing to our farms, forests, and fisheries, as well as to storms, floods, wildfires, and coastal property — and about how all those damages will grow," Holdren wrote.
The most recent report, published in 2023, highlighted that climate change impacts are widespread and disproportionately affect vulnerable populations, including Native American communities, which are often at heightened risk. While some past reports can still be found in the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's library, the decision to remove them from easily accessible government sites has raised concerns about the public's access to vital, taxpayer-funded information.
The sudden reversal on housing the climate data came just after President Trump named Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy as the interim head of NASA last week. This move placed Duffy, who continues to lead the Department of Transportation, in charge of the independent space agency. The appointment of Duffy followed the withdrawal of Trump's previous nominee for the role, tech billionaire Jared Isaacman, in late May, per Inside Climate News.
In a Truth Social post, Trump claimed Isaacman was a "blue-blooded democrat" who had never contributed to a Republican campaign, despite acknowledging that Isaacman was "very good." The president states that the nomination, which was suggested by Elon Musk, was pulled before a Senate confirmation vote. Climate experts have voiced concerns that the appointment of a political figure like Duffy to lead a key scientific agency could signal a new level of political interference in scientific institutions.
