 "Trump layoffs strike Nasa: Chief scientist dismissed & climate research takes hit; more job cuts to come")
The United States’ National Aeronautics and Space Administration (Nasa) has dismissed its chief scientist and other officials as part of a federal workforce reduction order issued by President Donald Trump.
This is the latest move by the administration to deliberately undermine climate research.
This first round of layoffs affected 23 employees, including Katherine Calvin, a renowned climatologist who led Nasa’s Office of the Chief Scientist and contributed to key UN climate reports. A Nasa spokeswoman said Tuesday (March 11) that more cuts are expected in the coming months.
The dismissals also include the Office of Technology, Policy, and Strategy and the Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility Branch within Nasa’s Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion.
Climate science targeted
Nasa plays a critical role in climate research, operating a fleet of Earth-monitoring satellites, conducting ground-based studies, and developing climate models used by scientists worldwide. The agency has been a leading source of climate data, but under Trump’s directives, its focus appears to be shifting away from Earth sciences and toward human space exploration.
The cuts come after Calvin and other US delegates were barred from attending a major climate science conference in China last month.
The move follows a broader push by the administration to roll back federal involvement in climate research. Last month, the White House ordered mass layoffs at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), another key federal agency responsible for tracking climate trends.
Trump, who has dismissed climate change as a “scam,” previously withdrew the US from the Paris Agreement in 2017 and has now done so again during his second term.
Impact Shorts
More ShortsShift toward Mars exploration
The dismissals mark a potential shift in Nasa’s priorities, with the agency doubling down on space exploration. Trump and his top advisor, Elon Musk, have both pushed for an accelerated timeline for a crewed Mars mission.
In his State of the Union address last week, Trump declared that the US would “plant the American flag on the planet Mars and even far beyond.”
Jared Isaacman, Trump’s nominee for Nasa administrator, is expected to play a key role in this effort. The billionaire e-payments entrepreneur and SpaceX customer is seen as close to Musk, and his intervention reportedly helped delay mass layoffs at Nasa last month, according to Ars Technica.
Despite this temporary reprieve, NASA employees remain uncertain about the future. Warner said affected employees may opt for early retirement or complete the RIF process.
The latest cuts signal a broader shift in federal science policy, with NASA’s Earth science research facing an uncertain future under Trump’s leadership.
With inputs from AFP
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