Scientists team up to publish climate assessment gutted by Trump

The American Geophysical Union and the American Meteorological Society said in a news release on Friday that they are inviting manuscripts for a new, special collection of 29 peer-reviewed research journals focused on all aspects of climate change in the United States.

"This effort aims to sustain the momentum of the sixth National Climate Assessment, the authors and staff of which were dismissed earlier this week by the Trump Administration, almost a year into the process," the societies said.

"Congressionally mandated, the NCA draws on the latest scientific research to evaluate how climate change is affecting the United States. The new special collection does not replace the NCA but instead creates a mechanism for this important work to continue."

Rachel Cleetus, one of some 400 scientific contributors who had contributed to the upcoming NCA report, confirmed they had been disbanded in a statement shared by the Union of Concerned Scientists, a group that advocates for rigorous scientific research.

"Today, the Trump administration senselessly took a hatchet to a crucial and comprehensive U.S. climate science report by dismissing its authors without cause or a plan," Cleetus said.

"The only beneficiaries of disrupting or killing this report are the fossil fuel industry and those intent on boosting oil and gas profits at the expense of people's health and the nation's economic well-being. Congress must step up to ensure the report it requires by law is conducted with scientific integrity and delivered in a timely way."

Cleetus also shared the text of an email that had been sent to the researchers by the Trump administration, which said that the "scope" of the report was being "reevaluated."

While the official website for the NCA shows that the sixth iteration of the assessment is still slated to be published by early 2028, a notice on the website also shows that the operations of the U.S. Global Change Research Program -- which carries out the NCA -- is "under review."

AMS President David J. Stensrud said the NCA is a "comprehensive, rigorous integration and evaluation" of the latest climate science knowledge that is used by everyone from small businesses to numerous governmental departments and agencies.

"Our economy, our health, our society are all climate-dependent," Stensrud said. "While we cannot replace the NCA, we at AMS see it as vital to support and help expand this collaborative scientific effort for the benefit of the U.S. public and the world at large."