BURSTThe Trump administration wants to zero out climate research at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), according to a newly released budget document.
The document calls for no funding to go to the agency’s climate laboratories or regional climate data and information. It also wants to zero out research at NOAA’s weather research program and weather laboratories, as well as its tornado and severe storm research.
The budget document also calls for a shutdown of weather and climate laboratories around the country, including a lab in Mauna Loa, Hawaii, that tracks greenhouse gas emissions and another in Miami whose research includes hurricane studies.
Overall, the document calls for reducing the agency’s full-time staff by 2,061 people when compared with fiscal 2024, a 17 percent cut.
Dramatic cuts to climate research are not necessarily a surprise, as President Trump has repeatedly denied and downplayed the threat of climate change. His administration has sought to cut climate programs and roll back climate regulations.
A previously released budget document indicated that the administration wanted to eliminate NOAA’s Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research, where much of its climate research is conducted.
Typically, administration budgets are ignored, and ultimately what gets funded is up to Congress. However, administration budgets have taken on a particular significance in this administration as its Department of Government Efficiency seeks to cut staffing, particularly in offices that do not align with the administration's priorities.