Commentary: The unconscionable assault on climate research must stop

The significant role scientific research played in World War II sparked government collaboration and investment in research after the war in numerous disciplines. That work has proven to be the backbone of major advances in technology and the standard of living for people worldwide. For 80 years, the U.S. government played a preeminent role in this critical work, but it is now being rapidly dismantled, and the consequences will be devastating.

The Trump administration’s unprecedented attack on science has taken particular aim at climate research by federal agencies. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration is our leading climate research agency. Significant budget and staff cuts at NOAA risk losing data and modeling capability needed to predict and plan for worsening hurricanes, wildfires, floods and other extreme climate events. Because NOAA also provides information and forecasts essential for aviation, agriculture, commercial fishing and shipping, these substantial reductions to the agency’s programs put public safety at risk and harm the economy.

NOAA’s regional climate centers provide scientists, state officials and farmers across the country with climate data and services that reduce risks from environmental hazards such as frost, drought and extreme precipitation. In April, the administration shut down four of the six centers. Besides hurting farmers, these rash decisions affect a host of businesses involved in getting produce to market and ultimately the consumer.

Research at South Carolina colleges and universities is also at risk, as are programs that help safeguard our businesses and communities. As of Friday, the home page of the S.C. Sea Grant Consortium included this statement: The Sea Grant Program relies on federal funding that is currently threatened. This funding is critical in providing research into urgent coastal issues such as water quality and disaster preparedness.

The small team of highly skilled experts in the consortium’s downtown Charleston office provides invaluable resources and science-based advice to Lowcountry communities on how to anticipate, mitigate and adapt to climate-related events. Nothing will be gained, but much will be lost if this program is eliminated.

Other federal programs are under the ax. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has taken down its web page that provides vulnerability assessments for wildfires, and the president’s proposed budget calls for eliminating funding of NASA’s climate monitoring satellites. The administration’s suspension of U.S. Agency for International Development climate financing will be disastrous for vulnerable populations around the globe.

Many nonprofit collaborative organizations, such as End of Term Web Archive, Public Environmental Data Partners and the Environmental Data and Governance Initiative, preserve and provide access to environmental data from government websites. Their efforts have become more urgent as the administration purges many science agency websites. However, it is not the mission of these organizations, nor do they have the resources and expertise, to carry out the specific functions of the defunded federal programs, which include extensive domestic research as well as collaboration with international partners on projects addressing climate disruption.

In a 2023 Pew Research Center survey, almost 80 percent of Americans said government investment in scientific research for the benefit of society is worthwhile. Yet on April 28, the Trump administration fired all contributors, almost 400 scientists, to the sixth edition of the National Climate Assessment, a congressionally mandated, periodic report that is the primary source document used by lawmakers and government specialists to anticipate and plan for the effects of climate change. The ultimate fate of the next report, scheduled for release in late 2027 or early 2028, is now uncertain. Then on April 30, the National Science Foundation, which last year invested in 14 projects dealing with climate resilience, was ordered to stop funding all new and existing research.

The Constitution grants Congress, not the executive branch, control of federal spending. Congressional Republicans renege on that obligation and violate their oath of office when their unwavering allegiance to Donald Trump allows him to recklessly gut science agencies and programs.

The diverse federal programs being targeted comprise a wealth of environmental data, sophisticated analytical tools and dedicated scientists that serve the public good. Once these programs are destroyed, it will be difficult if not impossible to revive them. There is no conceivable justification for depriving researchers, decision-makers and the general public of resources that help advance Earth’s sustainability and the prosperity and well-being of people everywhere.

Richard Wildermann is a Seabrook Island resident and climate activist.