POLITICAL INTERFERENCE IN FEDERAL CLIMATE SCIENCE

The Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS) and the Government Accountability Project (GAP) found widespread political interference in U.S. federal climate science, including pressure to alter findings and restrict communication. Survey data shows that 58% of federal climate scientists experienced interference in the five years prior to the report, contrasting sharply with the experience of non-federal scientists at NCAR. The report highlights barriers to media access, declining inflation-adjusted funding since the mid-1990s, and poor morale, recommending reforms to ensure scientific openness and the 'right of last review' for scientists.

• A significant proportion of federal climate scientists reported experiencing various forms of political interference over a five-year period, including administrative hurdles and pressure to modify scientific language. Specifically, 58% of respondents reported at least one incident of interference, totaling at least 435 incidents. Other reported experiences include 46% encountering unusual administrative requirements, 46% facing pressure to remove terms like "climate change" or "global warming," and 43% seeing edits that changed the meaning of scientific findings.
• Political interference is more prevalent among scientists whose work involves sensitive or controversial topics. Seventy-eight percent of scientists who reported their research frequently or always touches on such issues experienced at least one incident of inappropriate interference, with 27% of that group experiencing six or more incidents.
• Federal climate scientists face significant barriers to communicating their research to the public and media, often due to public affairs officers acting as gatekeepers. Reported issues include scientists being barred from speaking to the media, difficulty obtaining approval for press releases on global warming, and the presence of public affairs officers during media interviews.
• There is a stark difference in the experience of political interference between federal scientists and those at the independent National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR). Only 22% of NCAR respondents reported experiencing interference, compared to the much higher rates found among federal agency scientists.
• Funding for federal climate science research has decreased since the mid-1990s when adjusted for inflation. Scientists expressed concern that these inadequate funding levels, particularly budget cuts to Earth observation satellite programs, hinder progress in understanding climate change.
• Morale and job satisfaction among federal climate scientists have declined, which the report correlates with the politicized environment. Two-thirds of respondents believe the environment for federal climate research is worse than it was five years ago, and 45% reported a decrease in personal job satisfaction.
• NASA's adoption of a scientific openness policy in February 2006 is cited as a positive model for other agencies, with 61% of NASA survey respondents stating that these policies improved the research environment.

APA

Union of Concerned Scientists (n.d.). POLITICAL INTERFERENCE IN FEDERAL CLIMATE SCIENCE. https://www.ucs.org/sites/default/files/legacy/assets/documents/scientific_integrity/executive-summary.pdf

Chicago

Union of Concerned Scientists. POLITICAL INTERFERENCE IN FEDERAL CLIMATE SCIENCE. n.d. https://www.ucs.org/sites/default/files/legacy/assets/documents/scientific_integrity/executive-summary.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Union of Concerned Scientists |title=POLITICAL INTERFERENCE IN FEDERAL CLIMATE SCIENCE |url=https://www.ucs.org/sites/default/files/legacy/assets/documents/scientific_integrity/executive-summary.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{unionofconcernedscientistsndpolitical, author = {{Union of Concerned Scientists}}, title = {{POLITICAL INTERFERENCE IN FEDERAL CLIMATE SCIENCE}}, institution = {Union of Concerned Scientists}, url = {https://www.ucs.org/sites/default/files/legacy/assets/documents/scientific_integrity/executive-summary.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }