NASA will no longer release a key climate change report, claiming there is no "legal obligation"!

The critical scientific research used to track climate change risks and impacts across the United States has lost support.

July 16, 2023, Space News in the United States published an article.

Contrary to the White House's statement that the space agency would make the document available online, an important climate report, namely the main, peer-reviewed climate assessment report completed by the U.S. government every four to five years, will no longer be released by NASA.

This decision makes it difficult for the public to access the National Climate Assessment (NCA) report, which contains key scientific findings used to track climate change risks and impacts across the United States.

NASA stated that due to the lack of legal obligation, it will not publish the climate report on its website.

The NCA is a statutory report, published approximately every ten years, providing a peer-reviewed analysis of the impact of climate change within the United States.

It outlines local risks caused by climate change to public health, agriculture, infrastructure, etc., and is used to guide cities in their mitigation measures when facing natural disasters such as floods, heat waves, storms, and droughts caused by global warming.

Although past reports can still be accessed in some form in the online archives of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the official website of the U.S. Global Change Research Program (USGCRP) remains inaccessible.

The interruption of public access has raised concerns about government transparency and long-term support for climate research.

The White House's 2026 fiscal year NASA budget proposal has indicated a cut of 47% in the agency's science funding, although this may now face opposition from some members of Congress.

The next NCA is expected to be released in 2028, but its future remains uncertain.

According to The New York Times, hundreds of scientists who were already preparing the upcoming report were fired by the Trump administration in April.

Original: https://www.toutiao.com/article/1837840840012931/

Statement: This article represents the views of the author.