The Trump administration has taken down a federal website that provided vital information on climate change, sparking criticism from scientists and environmental advocates. The U.S. Global Change Research Program’s website, globalchange.gov, was shut down along with all five versions of the National Climate Assessment reports, which detail how global warming impacts the United States.
Peter Gleick, a water and climate scientist from California and a contributor to the first National Climate Assessment in 2000, described the move as "scientific censorship at its worst." He likened it to book burning, stating that the removal of these public documents makes it harder for Americans to access crucial information about climate risks, including droughts, floods, and heat waves.
The website was a significant resource, housing over 200 publications, including annual reports to Congress and studies on various topics, such as agriculture and human health. Gleick noted that while the reports can still be found elsewhere, the process has become more complicated for the public.
Katharine Hayhoe, a climate scientist at Texas Tech University and an author of several climate assessments, emphasized the importance of this information for various sectors, from farming to urban management. She pointed out that the 1990 law mandates that the program’s research findings be accessible to all federal agencies and should be available online.
The White House has not commented on the website’s removal. In May, President Trump signed an executive order claiming his administration is committed to “restoring a gold standard for science.” However, critics argue that the removal of the climate website contradicts this commitment.
In April, the Trump administration dismissed hundreds of scientists who were working on the latest National Climate Assessment, raising concerns about the future of climate research in the U.S. Hayhoe and others fear that without new assessments, the country may lack the necessary understanding of current climate threats.
The website’s shutdown follows a similar action where the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) also took down climate.gov, which had provided critical climate data. Gleick criticized the new NOAA website as a poor substitute for the comprehensive information that was previously available.
Experts worry that the ongoing cuts to climate-related programs and the removal of scientific resources reflect a broader trend of diminishing support for climate science under the current administration. They stress that this could lead to serious consequences for public awareness and preparedness in the face of climate change.