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Controversy erupted this week as the Trump administration decommissioned globalchange.gov, the U.S. Global Change Research Program’s website. The site housed vital reports and data on the impacts of climate change across the nation.
The move has triggered strong reactions from scientists and environmental advocates, who argue that the disappearance of this resource will significantly impede efforts to understand and prepare for climate-related challenges like droughts, floods, and extreme heat.
The now-defunct website provided access to all five versions of the National Climate Assessment report, along with detailed analyses of how global warming affects different regions of the United States. Critics are calling the removal of the site “scientific censorship,” with some comparing it to “book burning.”
“They’re public documents. It’s scientific censorship at its worst,” stated Peter Gleick, a renowned water and climate scientist and contributing author to the first National Climate Assessment (2000). “This is the modern version of book burning.”
While these reports are mandated by Congress and may be available elsewhere, critics argue their accessibility to the public has been drastically reduced.
The White House has yet to comment directly on the website’s removal.
Back in May, President Trump signed an executive order vowing to restore a “gold standard for science,” emphasizing transparency and the use of “credible, reliable, and impartial scientific evidence” in federal decision-making. He has previously questioned the methodology used in climate science, suggesting that federal agencies have relied on “worst-case scenario” projections of warming.
Katharine Hayhoe, a climate scientist at Texas Tech University and author of multiple climate assessment reports, underscored the importance of this information, stating, “This is scientific information that the American taxpayers paid for, and it’s their right to have it. It’s information that I, as a scientist, can say is absolutely critical to making good decisions for the future, whether you’re a farmer, a homeowner, a business owner, a city manager, or anyone really who wants to ensure a safe and resilient future for themselves and for their children.”
Hayhoe also pointed out that the 1990 law establishing the U.S. Global Change Research Program requires its findings to be available to federal agencies and the National Climate Assessments to be accessible digitally.
Prior to its takedown, globalchange.gov offered over 200 publications, including yearly reports to Congress and studies focusing on the Arctic, agriculture, and human health. The site featured interactive tools, educational podcasts, and videos covering topics such as sea level rise, greenhouse gases, and biodiversity.
An archived version of the website can be accessed through the Internet Archive’s Wayback Machine.
This latest action follows the Trump administration’s previous shutdown of climate.gov, a site maintained by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).
Scientists like Hayhoe also express concern about the future of the Sixth National Climate Assessment, especially after the dismissal of the team initially tasked with its creation.
“The deeper threat to the country is that we won’t do the new assessments that are necessary to understand the latest research on climate threats to the country,” Gleick said.