WASHINGTON — The Trump administration has dismissed the entire team of scientists and contributors tasked with producing the next National Climate Assessment, according to an internal email reviewed by CNN and confirmed by multiple sources. The document is a congressionally mandated report that serves as the United States’ definitive look at the impacts of climate change,
The abrupt removal of nearly 400 authors effectively halts progress on the sixth installment of the report, which is required by law to be published every four years under the Global Change Research Act of 1990. The last assessment, issued in 2023, warned that climate change is already reshaping every region of the country, fueling more frequent and severe extreme weather events, rising sea levels, and deepening economic and public health threats.
Alternative Assessment
The Trump administration’s move opens the door for either scrapping the forthcoming report altogether or replacing it with an alternative assessment that critics warn could reflect climate skepticism, contradicting the overwhelming scientific consensus on global warming.
The decision follows earlier signs of retreat. NASA recently canceled a key contract with the consulting firm ICF, which had supported the U.S. Global Change Research Program (USGCRP), the interagency body responsible for producing the assessments. That contract cancellation, climate experts say, signaled internal efforts to dismantle the infrastructure behind the report.
“It’s a devastating blow to science-based policymaking,” said Dr. Dustin Mulvaney, a professor at San Jose State University who had been selected as a contributing author. “Losing this report makes us less prepared for extreme weather, wildfires, sea-level rise, and the myriad other threats that come with a warming planet.”
During Mr. Trump’s first term, the administration attempted to minimize the impact of the Fourth National Climate Assessment by releasing it the day after Thanksgiving in 2018 — a move widely viewed as an attempt to bury its findings. That report, developed largely during the Obama administration, concluded that climate change posed a growing threat to the nation’s economy, infrastructure, and natural systems.
Official U.S. Government Documents
The assessments, produced by teams drawn from federal agencies, national laboratories, and academic institutions, are widely used by state and local governments, businesses, and planners to prepare for climate impacts. Their credibility stems not only from the breadth of contributing expertise but from their status as official U.S. government documents.
Dr. Meade Krosby, a climate scientist at the University of Washington, said sidelining the current team could undermine both the content and the credibility of the next assessment.
“These reports are a crucial resource,” she said. “They’re used by communities, governments, and industries to understand how climate change is affecting what they care about now and in the future, and how to manage the risks. The integrity of the science depends on the independence and expertise of the authors.”
“What’s at risk with this dismissal is not only the report itself, but its credibility,” she added. “Its loss or adulteration would have real consequences for how our country prepares for climate change. It’s Congressionally mandated for a reason.”
The future of the USGCRP itself also appears uncertain. A statement posted on the program’s website notes that “the operations and structure of the USGCRP are currently under review,” raising further questions about whether the nation’s premier climate research body will be allowed to function as intended.
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