WASHINGTON: The Trump administration plans to slash up to 75 per cent of funding for climate research under the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), according to internal documents seen by CNN and Science.
The cuts, which could begin this year, target NOAA’s research labs and climate offices – jeopardising the jobs of hundreds of scientists studying global warming.
This follows the axing of over 1,000 NOAA staff last month under the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).
Critics warn the move would gut the agency’s weather forecasting and climate science capabilities, disrupting critical support for sectors like agriculture and fisheries.
“What NOAA does is life-saving,” said Congresswoman, Zoe Lofgren.
“This hostility toward research will eviscerate the very forecasting this plan claims to preserve.”
Scientists say the impact will be global, as researchers worldwide rely on NOAA’s data and climate models.
The White House also plans cuts to NASA’s Earth Science division, which monitors climate change from space.
Some conservative groups accuse NOAA of spreading “climate alarmism”, a view echoed by the administration’s push to delete federal climate data and downsize climate-related agencies. – AFP
