US Climate Funding Cuts Undermine Global Research, Says Europe's Weather Agency

Europe’s leading weather agency has warned that budget cuts by former U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration are undermining global efforts to monitor the climate and predict weather patterns. The European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) said reductions in funding for the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) — including layoffs and data removals — have sharply curtailed the flow of critical atmospheric observations shared internationally.

Florence Rabier, ECMWF’s Director General, said the drop in data from NOAA, including a 10 percent decline in weather balloon readings, began in March and is already affecting forecast quality worldwide. “The weather doesn’t know any borders,” she stressed, noting that such observations are vital not only for immediate forecasts but also for long-term climate monitoring and satellite calibration.

The Trump administration’s plans, according to U.S. media, go even further — proposing to slash up to 75 percent of NOAA’s climate research budget by 2026 and expand cuts to NASA’s Earth observation programs. Rabier emphasized the global repercussions: “In terms of both science and observations, I think it would have an impact on the whole community.”

NOAA, long considered a cornerstone of global climate science, has been a key partner of ECMWF for five decades. The European agency operates the Copernicus Climate Change Service, which relies on vast datasets from around the world — including those now at risk due to U.S. funding rollbacks.