Read more at Yale Climate Connections

• Local Impact: Coastal towns like Crisfield, Maryland, which face chronic flooding due to climate change, relied on EPA’s Office of Research and Development (ORD) for critical, budget-friendly research (e.g., identifying natural buffers like marshes).
• Reorganization: The Trump administration halted this support by eliminating the ORD (which employed over 1,000 people and ran 10 national labs) and moving its functions under the Office of the Administrator.
• Consequences of Cuts: While the agency cited savings ($\$748.8$ million), these reductions lead to far greater long-term costs in health, infrastructure, and national security by:
  • Making it harder to collect and analyze national data on pollution and climate-warming gases.
  • Undermining the ability to justify or enforce regulations on major polluters.
  • Hindering the U.S.’s ability to respond quickly to emergencies like wildfires or extreme weather.

Proposed Solutions for Preserving Research

• Establish an Independent Institute: The primary solution suggested is for a coalition of states, universities, and philanthropies to establish a nonpartisan scientific institution.
  • This body would conduct independent environmental and climate research, insulated from political changes.
• Canadian Model (Regional Leadership): This model is successful in Canada, where the provinces of Ontario and Manitoba partnered with the International Institute for Sustainable Development to save the Experimental Lakes Area research site after federal funding was cut.
• Global Alliance Model (International Partnership): The article suggests drawing inspiration from organizations like the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunization (GAVI), creating an internationally funded climate initiative that brings together NGOs, research institutes, and governments to secure environmental research capacity.