Here’s the latest insanity from Washington according to documents obtained by CNN: The Trump Administration intends to get rid of the “research arm of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), close all weather and climate labs and eviscerate its budget along with several other NOAA office.”
Though the documents in question are a part of the budget proposal for 2026 calling for cuts of more than 27%, CNN reports that the “administration expects agencies to enact the changes immediately.”
We know that Republicans have a long history of denying the reality of climate change which, according to the United Nations, refers to
long-term shifts in temperatures and weather patterns. Such shifts can be natural, due to changes in the sun’s activity or large volcanic eruptions. But since the 1800s, human activities have been the main driver of climate change, primarily due to the burning of fossil fuels like coal, oil and gas.
Climate, on the other hand, is simply the weather observed over time. In their rush to deny climate change, the Trump Administration has decided that perhaps it would be better if we didn’t know what kind of weather to expect at all. But as CNN points out:
The cuts would devastate weather and climate research as weather is becoming more erratic, extreme and costly. It would cripple the US industries — including agriculture — that depend on free, accurate weather and climate data and expert analysis. It could also halt research on deadly weather, including severe storms and tornadoes.
The justification from the administration is that the cuts are to “education, grants, research and climate-related programs in the NOAA…which the administration believes “are misaligned with the … expressed will of the American people.” But is this really the will of the American people?
To be clear, having the capacity to give people useful information about the tornado heading their way might remind them that extreme weather events are becoming more severe and more common and that there could be a reason for that. If they look too hard for the reason, they might begin to ask questions the Trump Administration thinks best left unasked. Makes sense to me.
Retired political staffer/civil servant. Dual U.S./Canadian citizen writing about politics and the arts on both sides of the border.