The Trump administration has ended federal support for the Arctic Report Card, a flagship annual report on the state of the Arctic environment. The report, which has been supported by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) for two decades, provides climate scientists, policymakers, and the public with the latest findings on the state of the Arctic environment.

Background

The Arctic Report Card has been published annually since 2006 and has traditionally been released in December. The report takes an Arctic-wide view of the rapidly changing environment in the region, which is warming at about three times the rate of the rest of the globe. The report contains an abundance of climate science findings, including information on the state of Arctic sea ice, as well as the changing way of life for the people who live in the Arctic.

The withdrawal of support for the Arctic report continues the Trump administration’s pattern of canceling climate programs and restricting access to climate science. NOAA has not responded to a request for comment on the decision to end support for the report.

Impact

The decision to end support for the Arctic Report Card may have significant implications for climate science and policy. The report has been used to inform national security policy and has been cited by NATO in the past. The lead authors of the report, along with chapter authors and other subject matter experts, will now have to figure out how to carry the report forward without federal support.

Original reporting: KEYT (Ventura/Santa Barbara) — read the source article.