Trump administration destroys a research center described as a “crown jewel” of climate research after being accused of spreading “alarmism” about climate change.
Russell Vought, director of the White House Office and Budget Management, said: National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) in Boulder, Colorado, will be dismantled under the supervision of the National Science Foundation.
“This facility is one of the biggest sources of climate panic in the country,” he said. wrote in a post on a social network. “Due diligence is being carried out and any vital activities such as weather research will be moved to another organization or location.”
The announcement was the latest in a series of climate-sceptic moves by the administration, which has vowed to stop what it calls “new green research scams.”
This drew strong condemnation from climate experts who said Colorado The center was known for advances in the study of weather patterns, including tropical cyclones.
Roger Pielke Jr., senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute think tank. told USA Todaywho first reported the story that the facility is “the crown jewel of the U.S. scientific enterprise and deserves improvement, not closure.”
He added: “If the US is going to become a world leader in atmospheric science, it cannot afford to make petty and vindictive decisions based on heated climate change politics.”
The move was also criticized by Colorado Gov. Jared Polis, who said it put “public safety at risk.”
“Climate change is real, but NCAR's work goes far beyond climate science,” He said. “NCAR provides data on severe weather events such as fires and floods that help our nation save lives and property and prevent devastation for families.”
The center has about 830 employees and includes the Mesa Laboratory in Boulder, which Vaught said will be closed. It also flies two atmospheric research aircraft and operates the government's supercomputer center in Wyoming.
The decision to dismantle it is consistent with Donald Trump's frequent characterizations of climate change as a “scam” or a “hoax.”
The White House accused the center of following a “woke direction” and named several projects that administration officials called wasteful and frivolous, USA Today reported.
These include the Rising Voices Center for Indigenous and Geosciences, which seeks to “make science more welcoming, inclusive and equity-focused,” as well as research into wind turbines, an innovation that Trump has repeatedly denounced.
Administration already suggested a 30% cut in funding for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, which would cut spending on its climate, weather and ocean labs that work to improve forecasting and better understand weather patterns.
