131 - Silencing the forecast

The US is cutting climate science

Author

The Climate Mentor
April 16th, 2025 • Estimated Reading Time: 4 minutes

How to put everyone at risk

You know NOAA?

Not the one of the bible.

NOAA is the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), one of the world’s leading climate science agencies.

In a move raising eyebrows across the scientific and environmental community, the U.S. government with the new Trump administration is proposing drastic budget cuts to NOAA’s climate research division. For an agency at the forefront of predicting hurricanes, sea-level rise, and long-term climate trends, this feels like unplugging the radar in the middle of a storm.

If knowledge is power, then this decision weakens our ability to prepare, protect, and prosper.

Color-enhanced satellite image from NOAA-20 showing multiple active wildfires in New Mexico on May 3, 2022. Red areas highlight fire zones including the Cerro Pelado fire, Cooks Peak fire, and the Calf Canyon/Hermits Peak fires, with major locations like Santa Fe, Los Alamos, and Las Vegas labeled for geographic context.

NOAA-20 Satellite Image of Active Wildfires in New Mexico (May 2022)

⚠️ Disarming the watchdog

What does cuts actually mean?

According to Reuters, the White House’s 2025 budget proposal eliminates NOAA’s Climate Research Office entirely and slashes funding for Earth System Science collaborations with universities. NOAA has long been a cornerstone of U.S. climate monitoring, providing critical data to scientists, policymakers, and businesses alike.

Key implications:

  • Zero funding for climate modeling and prediction, which informs everything from crop planning to disaster response.

  • Severed ties with academic research programs, undermining innovation and data continuity.

  • Potential rollback of public-facing tools like Sea Level Rise Viewer, crucial for urban planners and real estate investors.

This isn’t just a science issue—it’s a risk management crisis. NOAA’s data powers insurance models, municipal budgets, agricultural strategies, and yes—even investor decision-making in climate finance.

As the climate grows more erratic, shouldn’t our tools grow sharper, not blunter?

Infographic map from NOAA showing 18 major U.S. weather and climate disasters in 2022, each causing over $1 billion in damages. The events include hurricanes, tornado outbreaks, droughts, floods, wildfires, and severe storms across various regions. Icons and dates indicate the type and timing of each disaster, with total damages exceeding $165 billion.

U.S. 2022 Billion-Dollar weather and climate disasters map

💡 What’s at stake  

Here’s why you, as an environmentally-conscious investor or reader of The Climate Mentor, should care:

  • Less data = more uncertainty: Climate models are key to pricing risk. Without NOAA’s input, ESG strategies become blind bets.

  • Public trust erodes: Without authoritative, government-backed data, misinformation flourishes—and sustainable investing suffers.

  • Market volatility: Environmental events already cause supply chain shocks. With less predictive capability, economic resilience declines.

Cutting climate science in the middle of a climate crisis is like removing the brakes on a speeding car.

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