UK-based climate scientists have had research projects cancelled and lost access to crucial data as a result of Donald Trump’s sweeping funding cuts.
US institutions such as NASA and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), which play a similar role to the Met Office, are having billions cut from their budget by the US President.
The Trump administration has also cancelled billions of dollars worth of research grants, including funding for climate research at US universities.
The i Paper has spoken to researchers based at universities across the UK who say they have been impacted by the loss of US collaborators and access to vital data sources.
Laura Wilcox, a professor at the National Centre for Atmospheric Science (NCAS) in the University of Reading, has lost access to a dataset called AirNow, which records pollution in cities across the world using sensors on the top of over 80 US embassies and consulates.
The data, which has been published for over 15 years, was taken offline in March, with the US state department citing “budget constraints”.
Professor Wilcox is also concerned about reports that the NOAA may be forced to close its world-famous observation sites in Mauna Loa, Hawaii and Boulder, Colorado.
“Those are our two long-standing observations of atmospheric CO2,” she said.
“We’re talking about losing observations of moisture, of ice, of air quality, of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. It’s vandalism. It’s absolutely heartbreaking.”
Professor Piers Forster, founding director of the Priestley Centre for Climate Futures at the University of Leeds, said the impact of “Trump 2.0” on the international science community is “far more significant” than the US President’s first term.
He added: “I publish an annual update of global indicators of climate change. This year, we still had access to US data on greenhouse gas levels, surface temperature and ocean heating. But several US authors were unable to contribute their expertise, harming our ability to fully understand recent trends.”
“Colleagues I have previously worked with at US institutions have been given hours to clear their desks and leave… Whole labs, such as NASA GISS [Goddard Institute for Space Studies] and NOAA labs, appear to be under threat. They curate important data sets, such as the CO2 record at Mauna Loa, which gave the first hard evidence of climate change.”
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Dr Scott Osprey, a senior NCAS research scientist based at the University of Oxford, relies on data collected by US satellites that are being discontinued, including a NASA satellite called TIMED that has been in orbit for 25 years.
He said: “The data that has accumulated over that time is gold dust; 25 years of climate change in the atmosphere and the upper atmosphere. You just do not get that sort of time series, and what we see very much adds to the story of global environmental change that we’re experiencing.
“With the loss of that and the anticipation of no further upcoming missions to fill that gap, we’re really at a loss to provide continued evidence on how our climate has changed.”
Ryan Neely, professor of Observational Atmospheric Science at the University of Leeds, works on a project called ICECAPS, which is studying how the Greenland ice sheet is melting.
The project, which is part of a 15-year collaboration between UK and US researchers, is going on an indefinite pause due to uncertainty over future funding from the US.
“There’s so much uncertainty that the National Science Foundation can’t make any decisions. They got kicked out of their office,” he said.
“They can’t continue doing it unless they’re going to have their salaries paid, and they’re pulling out all the equipment from Greenland this summer, and the joint project is going to be over.”
Dr Chris Reed works on the NCAS’ research aircraft that measures greenhouse gas emissions and air pollution.
He said his team had a contract with NASA to provide an instrument that they could use on their aircraft, but NASA appears to no longer be able to fulfil this commitment.
“They don’t know month to month whether they’re still going to have a job. Building stuff for us is not the priority,” he said.“We also need to extend the contract with them to be able to do an extra bit of work, but there is a moratorium on any new agreements, contracts, or anything external with them.”
Around 16,000 US federal workers have been sacked due to executive orders signed by Trump during his second term, while more job losses are expected at NASA and NOAA as part of the President’s 2026 budget proposals.
Professor Neely, who is originally from the US, said: “It’s like the house I grew up in is getting burned down.
“All these institutions with all this knowledge, it’s just going away…all these institutions have taken decades to build up, and it’s just really sad.”
Bob Ward, policy and communications director at the Grantham Research Institute on Climate Change and the Environment at the London School of Economics, said Trump’s assault on climate science has had a “chilling effect”, with US researchers “finding it more difficult to engage in collaborative networks around climate”.
However, he said the political climate in the US has provided an opportunity for UK and European universities to “nab some good quality researchers”.
He also warned that it felt like the UK was moving “backwards” with Reform “embracing” Trump’s climate agenda and the Conservatives weakening their message on climate.
“It does feel like the values of the Enlightenment are under attack,” he warned.
Rachel Cauley, communications director at the White House said: “President Trump ran on defunding woke, weaponised, and wasteful government and his budget proudly does that by cutting funding for the Green New Scam, projects like ‘gender-responsive agricultural adaptation’ in Guatemala and Mexico, and ‘Equity Climate and Health’ workshops for ‘transgender women, and those who identify as non-binary’.
“Under Trump’s leadership, the US is funding real science again.”
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