At 12:01 a.m. this morning, the U.S. federal government shut down. This shutdown comes after weeks of negotiations and pressure tactics failed to bring Congressional Republicans and Democrats together on a budget for the 2026 fiscal year or a continuing resolution to fund the government for a few more weeks.
science policy
Posted inResearch & Developments
Geoengineering Fears on Display at Congressional Hearing
Misunderstandings and disinformation abounded at a 16 September hearing of the Subcommittee on Delivering on Government Efficiency about geoengineering—efforts to alter Earth systems for the purpose of mitigating climate change.
Posted inResearch & Developments
EPA Proposes That Major Polluters No Longer Report Their Emissions
The EPA proposed today that approximately 8,000 polluting facilities, including oil refineries, power plants, and steel mills, should no longer be required to report their greenhouse gas emissions.
Posted inResearch Spotlights
Underwater Glacier-Guarding Walls Could Have Unintended Consequences
Although they would likely impede the warm currents that melt glaciers, such walls would also likely block fish migration and nutrient upwelling, harming marine ecosystems and Greenland fisheries.
Posted inResearch Spotlights
When Is a Climate Model “Good Enough”?
Models will always have bugs. How do scientists decide which ones are most important and how many is too many?
Posted inNews
Cruise to Measure Gulf Dead Zone Faces Stormy Funding Future
Funding cuts are affecting The Pelican’s annual hypoxia cruise to investigate the environmental conditions off the coast of Louisiana.
Posted inResearch & Developments
USDA Moves to Rescind Roadless Rule Protecting 45 Million Acres of Wild Area
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is proposing rescinding the 2001 Roadless Area Conservation Rule, which protects about 45 million acres (182,000 square kilometers) of National Forest System lands from road construction, reconstruction, and timber harvests.
Posted inResearch & Developments
FEMA Puts Dissenting Staff on Indefinite Leave
More than a dozen FEMA staff, all signatories of that Katrina Declaration, were placed on indefinite administrative leave.
Posted inEditors' Vox
Advances in Ecological Forecasting
AGU and ESA invite contributions to a cross-society special collection on ecological forecasting across ecosystems and scales.
Posted inResearch & Developments
Scientists Ask NSF to Keep Only Antarctic Icebreaker Afloat
On 28 July, more than 170 researchers sent a letter to National Science Foundation leaders and Congress, urging them to reconsider the decision to terminate the lease of the Nathaniel B. Palmer, the United States’ only Antarctic research vessel-icebreaker (RVIB) and a key part of science operations around the White Continent.