Hello, Today's newsletter focuses on the impact of the environmental and climate staff cuts made under U.S. President Donald Trump's administration Scientists and researchers are warning that the firing of hundreds of workers at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) will put American lives at risk and stifle crucial climate research. NOAA, the agency that provides the U.S. government's weather forecasts, numbered more than 800 employees that were fired, according to congressional sources. "There will be people who die in extreme weather events and related disasters who would not have otherwise," said Daniel Swain, a climate scientist and professor at the University of California, Los Angeles. Also on my radar today: |
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Protesters gather outside a NOAA building, to decry the Trump administration's layoffs of NOAA workers last week, in Boulder, Colorado. REUTERS/Brad Brooks |
Dismissing climate scientists |
The dismissals are part of a broadening assault on the federal bureaucracy engineered by Trump and his aide, billionaire Elon Musk, who say they are trying to cut wasteful spending. As at other agencies that have seen terminations, the NOAA staffing cuts focused on "probationary" workers who were newer to their current roles and had fewer job protections under the law – similar to the layoffs of nearly 400 probationary employees at the Environmental Protection Agency. The cuts come at a time when scientists say climate change is increasing the intensity and frequency of hurricanes, tornadoes, flooding and wildfires. The layoffs included marine habitat and satellite specialists in the Washington, D.C., region, marine sanctuary analysts in Maine and information technology and human resources staff in Virginia and Rhode Island, according to posts from fired workers on LinkedIn. Hundreds of scientists working on the models and data that feed weather forecasts were terminated. Asked for comment, a NOAA spokesperson said, "Per our long-standing practice, we don't discuss personnel matters." |
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Project 2025 and the NOAA |
Project 2025, the conservative blueprint published by the Heritage Foundation think tank that lines up with many Trump administration moves so far, had called for NOAA to be broken up and downsized. Russ Vought, one of the document's architects, is serving as the White House's budget director. Project 2025 says that the NOAA "has become one of the main drivers of the climate change alarm industry and, as such, is harmful to future U.S. prosperity." Musk's so-called Department of Government Efficiency has downsized more than 100,000 of the federal government's 2.3 million workers through a combination of layoffs and buyouts. |
Protests against the cuts and Musk |
Over 1,000 protesters gathered outside a NOAA building in Boulder, Colorado, on Monday, decrying Trump administration layoffs of what two current employees said were upward of 10% of scientists there. The protest was organized by former U.S. Congressman David Skaggs, a Colorado Democrat for whom the NOAA building in Boulder is named. He said that he had expected perhaps 100 people to show up, but police at the rally put the figure at over 1,000. "This protest is a manifestation of how frustrated people are," said Brenna Raeder, a demonstrator holding a "National Weather Service Saves Lives" sign. "It's completely insane that we would defund these vital services, including the wildfire forecasts that save lives right here in Colorado." Over the weekend, nine people were arrested during a demonstration outside a New York City Tesla dealership, protesting owner Elon Musk's role in sweeping cuts to the federal workforce. Protesters also descended on the electric vehicle maker's showrooms in Jacksonville, Florida, Tucson, Arizona, and other cities, blocking traffic, chanting and waving signs reading "Burn a Tesla: Save Democracy," and "No Dictators in the USA." Here are a few key US environment, social and governance developments: - Wells Fargo drops financed emissions target amid ESG rethink - US judge further blocks Trump's order curbing youth gender-affirming care - US FCC chair says EU Digital Services Act is threat to free speech |
A man walks in front of an art painting of a map of Palestine ahead of the emergency Arab summit by Egypt to present a plan for Gaza, in Cairo, Egypt. REUTERS/Amr Abdallah Dalsh |
- Gaza aid: Israel blocked the entry of aid trucks into Gaza over the weekend as a standoff over the truce that has halted fighting for the past six weeks escalated, with Hamas calling on Egyptian and Qatari mediators to intervene. Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty said that Egypt's Gaza reconstruction plan, which ensures Palestinians remain in their land, is ready and will be presented at an emergency Arab summit in Cairo later today.
- Ghana anti-LGBT: Ghanaian lawmakers have reintroduced a bill that would become one of Africa's most restrictive pieces of anti-LGBTQ legislation after an earlier attempt to enact it fell short because of legal challenges, three sponsors told Reuters. Currently, same-sex sexual acts are punishable by up to three years in prison in Ghana. The bill would increase the maximum penalty to five years and impose jail time for the "wilful promotion, sponsorship, or support of LGBTQ+ activities".
- Aid: Speaking of aid, the United Nations' World Food Programme, which gets much of its funding from the United States, is closing its southern African bureau, a communications officer said. U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said that he was deeply concerned about severe cuts in U.S. foreign assistance, in a strong rebuke of the move that he said would be "especially devastating" for the world's vulnerable people.
- UK children's data probe: Britain's privacy watchdog, the Information Commissioner's Office, is investigating TikTok, Reddit, and Imgur over child privacy concerns. Reddit and Imgur are being examined for their age verification practices, while TikTok is under scrutiny for how it uses personal data from 13–17-year-olds to recommend content. Click here for the full Reuters exclusive report.
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European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said that the European Union is giving automakers three years, rather than only one, to meet new CO2 emission targets for their cars and vans after meeting auto sector executives, unions and campaign groups on Monday. Shares in European automakers, including Volkswagen, Renault, BMW and Mercedes-Benz rose by between 1.5% and 4% after von der Leyen's comments. |
Chad Raines looks at the solar farm where his sheep graze and maintain the vegetation in Haskell, Texas, U.S. REUTERS/Annie Rice |
As U.S. farmers grapple with soaring debt and slumping incomes, some crop producers are trading their tractors for flocks of sheep, and starting up solar grazing businesses to help make ends meet. Sheep-herding for solar is one of the ways farmers are scrambling to diversify their income, as a multi-year slump in the U.S. agricultural economy has hit crop producers particularly hard, economists said. |
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Sustainable Switch was edited by Tomasz Janowski. |
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