The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, one of the world’s leading climate science agencies, has been ordered to identify grants related to global warming and other topics targeted by President Donald Trump’s executive order, and It raises concerns that there is a risk that grants will be cancelled.
According to a copy of the document viewed by the New York Times, the instructions were issued on Thursday at the direction of the Department of Commerce, including NOAA. NOAA staff will be given a list of all “active financial assistant awards” at NOAA and identify those grants “potentially impacted” by one of Trump’s orders. I was told that.
One of the issues directives that Trump signed on the day he took office is aimed at destroying federal programs that deal with climate change. Based on that order, NOAA staff are told to search for existing grants for conditions such as “climate science,” “climate crisis,” “clean energy,” “environmental quality,” and “pollution.” Masu.
The executive order does not specifically mention NOAA. However, Project 2025 is a blueprint for policies created by the Heritage Foundation, reflected in many actions taken by the Trump administration, and calls NOAA “one of the major drivers of the climate change warning industry.” I’m calling. This document encourages NOAA to be dismantled and part of its program is terminated. And it calls for the privatization of the National Weather Service, a division of NOAA. Project 2025 was written by many people currently playing senior roles in the administration.
In addition to research on atmospheric science, NOAA funds scientific research such as the ocean, the Arctic and wildfires. The agency also operates satellites, provides weather data, predicts hurricane paths, and regulates offshore fishing.
Demand to identify climate-related grants follows the revelation last week that members of so-called government efficiency led by Elon Musk accessed NOAA’s computer systems. Democrats sent a letter to Trump’s Pick for Trump’s Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick, urging them to protect NOAA from Musk’s “illegal attacks.”
On Tuesday, environmentalists, lawmakers and other NOAA supporters will hold a rally for agents outside the Commerce Department. The goal is to make sure that the American people know that the key institutions that work for them are being attacked by President Trump and Elon Musk,” said George Washington University, a 21-year-old senior. said Vincent Vertuccio. Rally organizer.
Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) will speak at the rally.
“Elon Musk’s report on targeting climate-related work at NOAA is another example of the anti-science ideology implementation Amok,” Van Hollen said in a statement. “It’s also in return for the large oil companies and climate change deniers who support Trump and Musk.”
Demand for identifying climate-related grants within NOAA was first reported by Axios. A NOAA spokesman did not respond to requests for comment.
Previous administrators had enquiries about NOAA Qi candidate subsidies and other data, but the current search is much more comprehensive and is considering climate research, mitigation and adaptation.
“We are concerned that such searches will pose threats to critical programs aimed at protecting communities from extreme weather and other climate-related disasters,” said Rick, who led NOAA in the Biden administration.・Spinrad said. “Last year, we had almost $30 billion in disasters from climate-related events. Will they be compromised? Is that the administration’s intention?”
Another former NOAA official, Andrew Rosenberg, said the decision to scrutinize existing grants based on compliance with Trump’s executive orders was inappropriate.
The grant is a contract between NOAA and the group that receives the money, Rosenberg said. You may cancel if the grant recipient does not meet the terms of the agreement or because the funds are no longer available.
However, he said canceling grants due to a change in political priorities is unfair to the grantees.
“Suppose you’re writing a proposal for a NOAA grant today,” Rosenberg said. “Are I supposed to expect the next five executive orders to say today? How do I know?”
NOAA’s Qi candidate subsidies go beyond scientific research. In Samoa, USA, Climate Ready’s workforce, a $60 million NOAA grant program, has already spent about $100,000 through its financial sponsor, University of Hawaii. So far, we have been working to provide the necessary technical certifications to the 25 employees of the island’s only utility responsible for providing electricity, cleaning waste, and managing drinking water. I’ve provided funding.
US territory suffers from water problems due to extreme weather driven by sea level rise and climate change. Instead of requesting a trip to the mainland, they received a grant of around $1.8 million to train about 100 current and future utility employees on the island.
Kelly Anderson Tagarino, a Samoa resident of America and community advisor to the Hawaii Sea Grant Program, said he is trying to continue moving forward with increasing anxiety. The program funds research at the University of Hawaii School of Marine Science and Technology.
“There were concerns that there would be changes, but so far there hasn’t been an order so they’re just saying they’re continuing,” she said. “The message is primarily “This is a lot of confusion and we will do our best to fulfill our mission to serve our community.”
