Defending the National Climate Assessment

Our resilience as a nation depends on our willingness to face reality head-on. For over three decades, the National Climate Assessment has drawn on the best available science to understand how climate change affects every region of the United States and every sector of the U.S. economy, helping us make smarter, more informed decisions.

First authorized by Congress in 1990, the Assessment was created to "produce information readily usable by policymakers" and to "increase understanding of and response to global change." This path-breaking legislation has guided decisions on everything from floodplain planning to wildfire response, infrastructure design, and public health readiness. The law requires that its findings be shared not only with Congress and the President, but also with the public at large.

The National Climate Assessment is a statutory obligation, enacted with broad bipartisan support and signed into law by President George H. W. Bush. Canceling the Assessment and turning away from science at a moment of escalating climate risk violates the executive’s constitutional duty to faithfully execute the laws of the land and obstructs public access to information required by law.

Halting this work is as shortsighted as it is unlawful. The Act itself makes clear that climate research is vital to “national economic well-being,” “public health and safety,” and “international cooperation.” Denying Americans this knowledge undermines the Constitution’s promise to “promote the general welfare” and “secure the blessings of liberty for future generations,” weakening our country’s ability to prepare for future challenges.

Letter signed by >130 Environmental and Natural Resource Economists: support-nca.org