Trump admin threatens to break up major climate research center

In a surprising development on Tuesday, Russell Vought, the head of the Office of Management and Budget, announced plans to dismantle a crucial climate research institution, the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR). This decision is poised to have a significant negative impact on climate research efforts across the United States, drawing sharp criticism from the scientific community. Vought characterized NCAR as a chief promoter of what he called 'climate alarmism' and condemned the center's initiatives aimed at increasing diversity within the scientific field, labeling them as 'woke' activities. These diversity efforts, which have historically received broad support, are now being scrutinized under the current administration. NCAR, located just outside Boulder, Colorado, also operates a supercomputing facility in Wyoming. It relies heavily on funding from the National Science Foundation, while the day-to-day operations are overseen by the University Corporation for Atmospheric Research (UCAR), a nonprofit organization representing a network of 130 educational institutions. The center is pivotal not only for climate science but also for researching Earth and space weather, atmospheric chemistry, and their environmental and human impacts. The administration's plan reportedly includes targeting what Vought described as 'green new scam research activities' and reallocating certain functions of NCAR to other institutions. However, since the government does not manage NCAR directly, it remains uncertain whether it possesses the authority to implement such changes unilaterally. UCAR has publicly stated that the announcement from USA Today was their first indication of this potential restructuring, leaving many questions unanswered regarding the future of NCAR and its vital work in climate science.