Mauna Loa Observatory faces closure under Trump budget proposal

An important climate monitoring network, including Hawaii’s Mauna Loa Observatory, could be dismantled under President Trump’s proposed 2026 budget, ending a 70-year record of greenhouse gas data.

Rebecca Dzombak reports for The New York Times.

In short:

• The Trump administration’s proposed budget would shutter the Mauna Loa Observatory and three other atmospheric monitoring stations, halting collection of long-term greenhouse gas data critical to climate science.
• The observatories track global concentrations of carbon dioxide, methane, and other pollutants, offering consistent data used worldwide to assess climate policy effectiveness and environmental risk.
• The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Global Monitoring Lab in Colorado, which processes air samples from around the world, would also close, severely limiting the U.S. contribution to global climate tracking.

Key quote:

“We would lose any understanding of how climate is changing, at what pace, and where.”

— Rick Spinrad, former NOAA administrator

Why this matters:

Reliable climate data is vital for understanding how our atmosphere is changing and what risks lie ahead. The Mauna Loa Observatory and its sister stations have produced a decades-long record that tracks how much carbon dioxide and other pollutants are building up in the air. This information helps researchers link weather extremes — like wildfires and heat waves — to long-term trends and identify which policies are working. Without it, the U.S. would lose a critical early-warning system for environmental and public health threats. Its loss would also weaken global climate tracking efforts, leaving scientists with an incomplete picture of how fast the planet is warming and where those effects are hitting hardest.

Related: Key climate research office may close amid federal cost-cutting