Why Did US Government Climate Report Pages Suddenly Go Dark?

In a development that has provoked serious alarm among scientists and government officials, a number of US government websites hosting national climate assessments and essential data have suddenly shut down. The sudden loss of access saw planners, researchers, and the general public denied access to crucial tools used to combat climate-related threats.

Websites for the National Climate Assessment (NCA) and the US Global Change Research Program (USGCRP) were unavailable on Monday and Tuesday, reported the Associated Press. The shutdowns happened without explanation, redirects, or alternative links, leaving users in the dark.

Experts Sound the Alarm Over Access to Vital Climate Data

Kathy Jacobs, a climate scientist with the University of Arizona and the lead author of the 2014 National Climate Assessment, is deeply concerned about the development.

“It’s a sad day for the United States if it is true that the National Climate Assessment is no longer available,” Jacobs stated.
“This is proof of extreme fact-tampering and people’s access to information, and it may indeed heighten the possibility of people being harmed by climate impacts,” she said.

The erasure of the sites has raised concerns that communities and local governments—particularly those under serious climate threats—may lose access to vital resources such as county-level projections, impact data, and planning tools.

White House Reports Data Transferred to NASA

The White House officially acknowledged Tuesday that the data is being transferred to NASA to meet federal legal requirements. Attempts so far, however, to find the National Climate Assessments on NASA’s web platforms have been unsuccessful. Search results provide no obvious links or content and lead to many previously active resources that are now dead links or old references.

NASA and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), which before used to host and organize climate data, have also refused to answer repeated questions from reporters.

No schedule has been issued on when the sites will be brought back or if their content will be made completely accessible again.

Data Disruption Strikes At Sensitive Climate Planning Time

The most current National Climate Assessment, published in 2023, offered an interactive atlas that outlined climate effects at a county level. It emphasized how climate change impacts Americans’ health, security, and well-being, especially in susceptible populations like Native American and minority groups.

Numerous local governments, planners, and emergency managers substantially depend on these resources for planning against natural disasters, heatwaves, flooding, and other climate-related issues.

The Global Change Research Act of 1990 compels the generation of a four-yearly national climate assessment and the establishment of a coordinated federal research effort through the USGCRP. The act compels making available to the public access to these results.

Transparency and Timing Raise Concerns

The timing of the shutdown of the site—without warning and duplicate infrastructure—has resulted in increasing incredulity about the reason for the action.

Experts say any data disruption erodes national readiness amid a growing number of climate-related disasters the US is experiencing. Frustration has only been heightened by the agencies’ failure to communicate.

Until officials provide some solution or clarification, public safety, legal compliance, and transparency of the data are questions left unanswered.