April, 04 2025, 04:13pm EDT
NOAA Websites Set to Go Dark in Continued Assault on Scientific Research
Statement by Dr. Juan Declet-Barreto, Union of Concerned Scientists
Vital National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) research websites will reportedly go dark overnight in another shocking setback to the nation’s core scientific enterprise, according to the Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS).
According to several news reports, many of NOAA's websites will go offline beginning at midnight due to the cancelation of a cloud service contract. The main site, NOAA.gov, is expected to be unaffected. This is the latest purge of publicly accessible, lifesaving scientific information and cuts to research budgets across the federal government.
Below is a statement by Dr. Juan Declet-Barreto, senior social scientist for climate vulnerability in the Climate and Energy Program at UCS:
“If this disruptive and reckless move by the Trump administration goes forward, vital research information will disappear from public view, depriving the public and businesses of critical weather and climate information that helps guide services such as shipping and aviation. Far from providing cost savings, this is a broadside assault on taxpayer-funded investments in science and the infrastructure needed to support it.
“Together with continuing indiscriminate staff and budget cuts at NOAA and its National Weather Service, gutting technological resources needed for the agency to conduct and communicate its world-class scientific research will havedevastating consequences. Losing public access to this vital information is an existential threat to the work of those who rely on it to help prepare and protect communities, critical infrastructure, and commerce.
“This research and information were paid for by taxpayers and belongs in the public domain. This threat is the newest chapter of the Trump administration’s unrelenting assault on scientific research, government services and public information that will have dangerous impacts across the nation and the world.
“We urge Commerce Secretary Lutnick to reverse this decision before it takes force, or he will bear responsibility for enabling this attack on NOAA. Congress too must raise the alarm and demand accountability on behalf of people across the country.”
Additional Resources:
- The blogpost “We Need a Strong and Independent NOAA to Protect Our Lives and Homes from Climate Change.”
- The blogpost "A Day Without NOAA, a Day Without the National Weather Service?"
- Open letter organized by UCS and signed by more than 2,500 scientific experts, which was sent to Congress and the Commerce Secretary urging protection of NOAA.
The Union of Concerned Scientists is the leading science-based nonprofit working for a healthy environment and a safer world. UCS combines independent scientific research and citizen action to develop innovative, practical solutions and to secure responsible changes in government policy, corporate practices, and consumer choices.
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No exaggeration, deep sea mining could cause the massive collapse of the entire deep sea ecosystem and food chain. This is an existential risk to every person on this planet. www.nytimes.com/2025/04/24/c...
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