Trump Administration Halts Public Access to Key Climate Reports, Sparking Outcry

The Trump administration has taken a controversial step in limiting public access to essential climate science by halting plans to host the National Climate Assessments—legally mandated, peer-reviewed reports outlining the impact of climate change across the United States—on a government website.

Earlier this month, the official website for the U.S. Global Change Research Program (USGCRP), which previously hosted these reports, went offline. The White House initially said the reports would be relocated to NASA’s website to meet the requirements of the 1990 Global Change Research Act.

However, NASA reversed course on Monday. In a statement, NASA Press Secretary Bethany Stevens said the agency has “no legal obligations” to host the data or maintain the globalchange.gov website.

This decision effectively removes easy public access to crucial information that informs state and local governments, emergency planners, and the public on how climate change is impacting their communities and how best to adapt.

“This document was written for the American people, paid for by taxpayers, and it contains vital information,” said climate scientist Katharine Hayhoe, a co-author of several past reports. “It helps us stay safe in a changing climate.”

The latest report, released in 2023, concluded that climate change is threatening public health, national security, and livelihoods, with marginalized communities, especially Native Americans, facing heightened risks.

Former Obama science adviser John Holdren accused the administration of “classic misdirection,” alleging a calculated effort to bury scientific evidence. “They don’t want the public to see scientifically validated information about what climate change is doing to farms, forests, fisheries, and coastal properties,” he said.

Though some past reports remain accessible via the NOAA library, the broader removal of user-friendly access has sparked concern that the administration is attempting to suppress information critical to the nation’s climate preparedness.

“Trump doesn’t want people to know,” Holdren said.