The Trump administration rolled back key protections for government climate researchers, raising fears that political interference could undermine the scientific evidence Americans need to prepare for extreme weather events, according to a Washington Post report.
What's happening?
Officials recently reverted scientific integrity policies at the Environmental Protection Agency and the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration to versions from January 2021. The changes eliminate safeguards that scientists have fought to strengthen, including assurance that independent arbiters — rather than political appointees — would oversee enforcement of scientific integrity policies.
The administration also thinned the government's scientific workforce by thousands and proposed eliminating many climate research centers and labs. Trump's budget proposals would cancel studies and data collection that could inform policies to protect communities from flooding, extreme heat, and other weather-related events.
Why are these changes important?
"We're going to see scientists lose protections from retaliation. We're going to see the loss of professional or appointed scientific integrity officers," said Jennifer Jones, director of the Union of Concerned Scientists' Center for Science & Democracy, per the article. "They will now basically be replaced with political appointees."
The tightened safeguards stemmed from the "Sharpiegate" incident in 2019, when Trump displayed a hurricane forecast map altered with a marker to suggest Hurricane Dorian threatened Alabama. An investigation found that NOAA's acting administrator violated scientific integrity policies by releasing a statement backing Trump's warnings and contradicting meteorologists.
This reversal could leave families and communities nationwide without accurate information about weather emergencies and long-term environmental threats that affect public health and safety.
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What's being done about these rollbacks?
The EPA union is fighting the administration's cancellation of collective bargaining agreements in court. Scientists and advocacy groups continue pushing for stronger federal protections for researchers.
Meanwhile, several states have strengthened their own climate research programs. California recently expanded its climate monitoring network, while scientists are developing new tools to monitor our oceans and climate for changes. These state-level efforts help ensure that communities still receive the critical environmental data to make informed decisions about their health and safety, especially during storm season.
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