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Major U.S. nature report in jeopardy due to Trump administration shutdown

Scientists were blindsided when the Trump administration killed a first-of-its-kind U.S. nature assessment, but key experts say they’ll finish it without government support.

Catrin Einhorn reports for The New York Times.


In short:

  • The National Nature Assessment was nearly complete when Trump revoked it by executive order, cutting off federal support and removing the project’s web page.
  • The report aimed to assess the state of America’s land, water and wildlife, predicting future changes and their impacts on human health, the economy and national security.
  • Researchers are now working to publish the report independently, raising challenges about peer review, funding and how to maintain the report’s influence.

Key quote:

“This work is too important to die. The country needs what we are producing.”

— Phil Levin, former director of the National Nature Assessment

Why this matters:

When Trump pulled the plug on the National Nature Assessment, scientists were left scrambling to salvage a project they’d poured years into. But without federal backing, it’s an uphill climb to get it peer-reviewed and recognized by the right people. Still, they’re pushing forward without official funding and no government stamp of approval — just pure grit.

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Trump’s funding freeze threatens Alaska village’s clean energy future

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