NASA Declines to Publish Climate Report Online, Cites Lack of Legal Mandate

### Speedy Summary
– NASA has decided not to publish the U.S. National Climate Assessment (NCA) on its website, citing no legal obligation.
– This contradicts a previous White House statement that named NASA as the new host after the original site, globalchange.gov, was shut down.
– The NCA is a legally mandated climate report published every 4-5 years with peer-reviewed findings on localized risks from climate change in areas like agriculture, health, and infrastructure.
– Public access to past reports remains available through NOAA archives; however, no federal agency has been formally assigned as the new host for these reports.
– The decision has raised concerns about goverment openness and support for climate research amid proposals to cut NASA’s science funding by 47%.
– The next NCA is scheduled for release in 2028 but faces uncertainty following the dismissal of hundreds of scientists during Trump’s governance.

*Image Credit: NASA’s Scientific Visualization studio*

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### Indian Opinion Analysis
India must carefully observe developments surrounding global climate reporting like the U.S. National Climate Assessment. Such assessments often act as key resources influencing worldwide strategies against climate change hazards-including those affecting India through extreme whether events and challenges to food security. Reduced availability of credible scientific data could hinder India’s capacity to anticipate and mitigate local impacts effectively.

Moreover, this underscores broader issues around international transparency in addressing shared environmental concerns. india’s policymakers may need stronger collaborations with diverse research hubs globally or invest heavily in indigenous assessment mechanisms predicated on robust data frameworks. with growing vulnerability due to warming temperatures domestically-from more frequent heatwaves to erratic monsoons-effective planning based on reliable data becomes indispensable.

[Read More](https://www.space.com/science/climate-change/nasa-wont-publish-key-climate-change-report-online-citing-no-legal-obligation-to-do-so)