Scientists who were working on the assessment received an email Monday saying, “we are now releasing all current assessment participants from their roles.”
“The scope of the [National Climate Assessment] is currently being reevaluated,” the email, shared with The Hill on Tuesday, said. “As plans develop for the assessment, there may be future opportunities to contribute or engage.”
A spokesperson for NASA, which supports the assessment, reiterated that the report’s scope was being reevaluated, but did not comment further. A White House official provided a similar statement and also did not provide further comment.
The move comes as the Trump administration has repeatedly downplayed the impacts of climate change and gone after programs related to the issue.
Rachel Cleetus, one of the experts who was working on the National Climate Assessment, told The Hill that more than 400 people had been working as volunteers on the national assessment until they received the email Monday.
She noted that the report, which is mandated by Congress under the Global Change Research Act of 1990, provides a U.S.-specific assessment that can help communities prepare for climate change.
“The reason this report is so important is because it’s particularly tailored to what we as a nation and the United States need, and so it is providing information about climate impacts at a local and regional level, so that it’s actionable for people,” Cleetus said.
Read more at TheHill.com.
