US dismisses all authors of National Climate Assessment, email says
By Valerie Volcovici
April 29, 2025
The dismissal of nearly 400 contributors to the sixth National Climate Assessment, which is mandated by Congress, leaves the future of the report in doubt since the multi-year, peer-reviewed analysis is due for publication in 2028.
"At this time, the scope of the NCA6 is being evaluated in accordance with the Global Change Research Act of 1990," the email, seen by Reuters, said, referring to the legislation that kickstarted the assessments that was signed by Republican President George H.W. Bush.
The climate assessment had been overseen by the Global Change Research Program, which the Trump administration dismissed earlier this month, and had coordinated input from 14 federal agencies and hundreds of external scientists.
Its findings were meant to inform federal agencies and lawmakers for decision-making around climate policy and funding priorities.
The last assessment, published in 2023, said climate change was increasingly imposing costs on Americans, as prices rise for weather-related insurance or certain foods, and as medical care becomes more expensive as people face threats like extreme heat.
The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the email.
Trump's administration has targeted scientific research in several areas in sweeping government job cuts to curtail what it calls wasteful spending, including at the National Institutes of Health, Environmental Protection Agency and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
The climate assessment was a target of Project 2025, the right-wing Heritage Foundation-written policy blueprint that has helped shape some of Trump's policies.
Project 2025's chapter on scientific agencies said the National Climate Assessment should be reshaped to ensure contributors are better scrutinized.
