Every day is a trainwreck’: Scientists lash out at Trump’s newest sabotage

A wave of profound outrage is sweeping through the scientific community as former government scientists lash out against the Trump administration’s latest move to dismantle crucial climate tracking infrastructure, raising serious concerns about the integrity of federal environmental data and scientific research. This escalating conflict centers on the reported removal of the U.S. Global Change Research Program (USGCRP) website, a vital repository of climate change reports and resources, which scientists describe as a systematic erasure of critical information, embodying a daily “trainwreck” for climate science.

The now-defunct website of the USGCRP was a cornerstone for accessing comprehensive climate information, hosting numerous foundational reports, including all five editions of the National Climate Assessments. These assessments, frequently cited and peer-reviewed, provided detailed insights into how human-amplified climate change impacts the United States. Its sudden inoperability signifies a significant blow to public and scientific access to decades of accumulated knowledge and ongoing research vital for understanding and addressing environmental challenges. The loss of such a centralized, accessible platform disrupts the flow of crucial environmental data.

Adding to the alarm, this dismantling follows the administration’s earlier announcement in April to cancel all future research for the USGCRP and terminate researchers working on the sixth edition, slated for 2028. This decision stands in direct defiance of congressional appropriations that mandate such research. Critics argue that this action is part of a broader, problematic pattern where the Trump administration asserts a right to withhold congressionally allocated funds from programs it disfavors, a practice explicitly deemed illegal by the 1974 Impoundment Control Act, thus challenging established government policy.

While Trump officials have attempted to mitigate the backlash by stating that previous USGCRP reports will now be directly hosted by NASA, the scientific community remains deeply skeptical and concerned. Haley Crim, a former National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) climate staffer, vociferously stated that “Federal climate science is being systematically erased.” Crim clarified that this isn’t necessarily direct censorship but rather a concerning “culmination of expired contracts, decisions about individual products, lack of staffing and resources, and refusal to protect climate information,” directly impacting science integrity.

The sentiment of dismay is widely shared across the scientific landscape. Zach Labe, another NOAA climate scientist, publicly articulated the pervasive feeling among researchers, posting, “Every day is a trainwreck for climate science. Stay aware of what is happening, and speak out!” This growing alarm has prompted proactive measures from concerned experts who, anticipating such purges, began privately archiving a multitude of federal websites covering sensitive topics like climate science, LGBTQ issues, and AIDS prevention, striving to safeguard vital environmental data and ensure its continued accessibility.

The implications of these actions extend far beyond the immediate loss of a website or a research program; they underscore a fundamental challenge to the role of scientific evidence in government policy and public discourse. By undermining established channels for climate research and data dissemination, the administration risks eroding public trust in scientific institutions and hindering the nation’s capacity to formulate informed responses to pressing environmental issues. This systematic rollback jeopardizes not only climate change understanding but also the foundational principles of science integrity that underpin sound governance.

Ultimately, the escalating friction between the Trump administration’s stance on government policy and the scientific community’s staunch defense of environmental data and research integrity paints a vivid picture of a deeply divided approach to critical national and global challenges. As scientists continue to vocally oppose what they perceive as deliberate sabotage of climate science, the ongoing battle highlights the crucial importance of protecting scientific institutions and ensuring unrestricted access to verifiable data for the public good, cementing climate change as a key political and scientific battleground.