STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. — President Donald Trump is once again jeopardizing climate research by shuttering one of the world’s foremost scientific institutions in Boulder, Colorado.
The National Center for Atmospheric Research uses a supercomputer that “runs weather and climate research models and is used by about 1,500 researchers from over 500 universities around the country,” according to CNN.
Under Trump’s direction, the computer center is being given to “a third-party operator,” the U.S. National Science Foundation announced.
The projections performed by this computer help millions of Americans prepare for extreme weather, turbulence, and other weather phenomena.
The supercomputer’s transition away from this facility threatens accuracy in predicting weather models, which trickle down into the daily forecast apps used by Americans.
It is not clear when this transfer will go into effect.
The Director of the United States Office of Management and Budget Russell Vought said on X in December 2025, the following: “The National Science Foundation will be breaking up the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) in Boulder, Colorado. This facility is one of the largest sources of climate alarmism in the country. A comprehensive review is underway & any vital activities such as weather research will be moved to another entity or location.”
Trump and his administration dismiss environmental concerns consistently: pushing the United States away from sustainable energy alternatives and back towards fossil fuels; pulling the United States out of the Paris Climate Agreement for the second time; lowering Environmental Protection Agency expectations for companies, and more.
The Union of Concerned Scientists issued a statement saying that according to Columbia University’s Sabin Center’s Climate Backtracker, “the Trump administration has taken nearly 300 actions to scale back or halt climate and clean energy progress” as of Jan. 14.