Scientists at the American Geophysical Union (AGU) conference are bracing for challenges under President-elect Donald Trump.
Their concerns under the second Trump presidency include potential censorship, budget cuts, and layoffs as new-elect President prepares to take office in six weeks.
“Everybody at AGU is nervous,” said Jill Brandenberger of Pacific Northwest National Laboratory.
“The unknown is what makes people nervous.”
Project 2025 Sparks Alarm
Project 2025, a policy plan led by the Heritage Foundation, proposes deep cuts to federal climate programs. It calls for dismantling NOAA, downsizing EPA, and reorganizing federal climate research.
Trump has been vocal about downplaying climate change and climate predictions for over a decade now.
Though Trump’s team says the plan doesn’t reflect their views, many authors are former Trump officials, adding to fears of the scientific community.
Trump’s Past Actions Intensify Concerns
During Trump’s first term, federal websites were scrubbed of climate data. Even the NASA’s Earth observation programs faced potential defunding.
“People are really kind of exhausted,” said Andrew Dessler, a Texas A&M climate scientist.
NASA employees fear a repeat, with rumors of restrictions on phrases like “climate change” in reports.
A NASA scientist, speaking anonymously to Politico, described their morale as low: “Everyone’s demoralized.”
Trump’s proposed commission, led by Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy, aims to cut government spending.
Scientists worry federal climate programs could be early targets.
At the conference, legal experts advised attendees on safeguarding research.
As Trump’s administration takes shape, federal scientists and researchers are preparing for significant challenges ahead in the fight against reducing emission and mitigation and adaptation efforts in the face of climate change crisis. United States, this year, faced worst drought conditions, a clear sign of consequences of changing climate patterns.
About AGU24
AGU’s annual meeting are the largest gathering of Earth and space scientists. According to AGU’s official site, the meeting every year is attended by over 25,000 people that include scientists, educators, policymakers, journalists and others, from 100+ countries.
The theme of 2024’s AGU meeting at Washington D.C, from 9th to 13th December, was “What’s Next For Science.”
