Trump Administration Halts Support for Critical Arctic Report Card Amid Mounting Climate Concerns
Washington D.C. – In a move drawing immediate concern from scientists and environmental advocates, the Trump administration has officially withdrawn its support for the annual Arctic Report Card, a vital publication tracking environmental changes in a region heating up four times faster than the global average.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) confirmed its decision on Tuesday through Kim Doster, the agency’s communications director. Doster stated that the federal agency would no longer facilitate the coordination of the Arctic Report Card, which has served as a comprehensive environmental update for scientists and the public since its inception in 2006.
While Doster offered no specific explanation for the withdrawal, she told the New York Times, “Coordination of the 2026 Arctic Report Card will not be facilitated through NOAA… All data historically contributed by NOAA to the product will continue to be collected and will remain publicly available.” She further indicated that other NOAA programs would continue to support Arctic research contributing to “national security, weather prediction, safety of navigation and the economic vitality of coastal communities.” The Guardian has sought additional comment from NOAA.
For two decades, the peer-reviewed Arctic Report Card has been instrumental in tracking critical changes across the Arctic’s atmosphere, oceans, cryosphere, and tundra. The region is widely recognized as the world’s fastest-warming due to the climate crisis. Recent years have seen unprecedented phenomena, including severe sea ice decline, alarming carbon sink reversals, and widespread ecosystem upheavals.
The 2025 Arctic Report Card, for instance, revealed that surface temperatures from October 2024 through September 2025 were the warmest on record since 1900. It also highlighted that Arctic winter sea ice in March 2025 reached its lowest annual maximum extent in the 47-year satellite record. On land, the report documented ongoing glacier loss contributing to global sea-level rise, threatening Arctic communities with water supply issues, destructive floods, and increased landslide and tsunami hazards.
Perhaps most strikingly, the 2025 report detailed how, over the past decade, thawing permafrost in over 200 Arctic Alaska watersheds has released iron and other elements, turning rivers and streams orange. These “rusting rivers” have led to increased acidity and elevated levels of toxic metals, degrading water quality and impacting aquatic habitats, rural drinking water supplies, and vital subsistence fishing.
Rick Thoman, the lead editor for this year’s report, expressed determination despite the setback. Speaking to The Guardian, Thoman said, “We are scrambling to pull the pieces together. I am optimistic that we can find a path forward for 2027 and beyond. Given the late date, whether we can pull it together for 2026 is an open question, but we’re trying to make it happen.”
Twila Moon, another editor of the report and a scientist at the Colorado-based National Snow and Ice Data Center, underscored the broader implications. “The US is an Arctic nation. It’s not just a distant place. It’s also our national place. So many of the changes there have impacts that reach down into our mid-latitudes, even further south,” Moon told The Guardian.
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Moon also warned of the broader ramifications of this decision: “Even if we’re able to move the Arctic Report Card forward in a way that brings information to people, there’s still a real loss in this not being a US federal effort. That’s a real stepping back of US leadership in the science arena, in the environmental intelligence arena, and that kind of has a whole other flavor of harm as well.”
This cancellation aligns with a pattern of the Trump administration’s actions since retaking office last January to undermine government-led studies on the climate crisis and its global impact. This includes stripping away support for scientific research mentioning “climate,” dismantling a key climate research center in Colorado, attempting to scrap a crucial $368m deep-sea observation system, and removing key climate change reports from government websites.
Further environmental rollbacks under the current administration include NOAA’s decision to cease tracking the costs associated with climate crisis-fueled disasters and the dismissal of all contributors to the US government’s flagship report on climate crisis preparedness. The withdrawal of support for the Arctic Report Card adds another significant concern to this growing list, casting a shadow over the future of critical climate research and international scientific collaboration.
