You are browsing the archive for Category: science and society - AGU Blogosphere.
3 June 2026
A Rule That Would Rewrite the Terms of U.S. Science
The Office of Management and Budget has proposed sweeping revisions to the regulations that govern all federal grants, cooperative agreements, and other forms of federal financial assistance.
7 April 2026
Trump Administration’s FY27 President’s Budget Request Cannot Go Unanswered
Last Friday, President Trump released the fiscal year 2027 President’s Budget Request. What we are seeing is devastating, and it demands a forceful response. As our policy team details on The Bridge, this budget is largely a repeat of last year’s proposal, but repetition does not soften the blow. NASA’s Science Mission Directorate is cut by nearly half its budget. The National Science Foundation is losing more than half. NOAA is down nearly 28%. The EPA is slashed by more than 52%. And once again, for the second year in a row, the Administration proposes …
18 March 2026
Ignoring Science Weakens Court Decisions: Reinstate Climate Science in the Federal Judicial Center’s Reference Manual
AGU decries the recent removal of a chapter on climate science from the 2025 4th edition of the Federal Judicial Center’s Reference Manual on Scientific Evidence, particularly at a moment when judges are likely to encounter increasingly complex and critical issues related to climate change. The Reference Manual on Scientific Evidence is one of the judiciary’s most widely used resources for understanding complex scientific and technical issues. Without the climate science chapter, courts have fewer tools to interpret the scientific principles underlying …
12 February 2026
AGU Denounces Trump Administration’s Repeal of the EPA Endangerment Finding
In 1856, American scientist Eunice Foote made history by publishing the first academic paper demonstrating that carbon dioxide traps heat from the Sun, a discovery that laid the foundation for climate science. Over the next 170 years, researchers have tested and built on that insight with the rigor of the scientific method, publishing hundreds of thousands of peer-reviewed studies that have not only affirmed Foote’s original finding but also revealed the grave consequences of unchecked greenhouse gas emissions. The EPA’s 2009 Endangerment Finding …
30 January 2026
The A-G-U Alphabet
By Renetta Garrison Tull, Ph.D. Wherever we grow up around the world with whatever native language, mastering our “ABCs” is foundational to how we learn, understand, and grow. I guess that’s why I am drawn to this structure when surveying or analyzing large amounts of information. Reflecting on the broad range of our discussions at the AGU Board of Directors’ December meeting, it seemed we had covered everything from A-Z. So why not report out doing just that? The Board started the day assessing the A-Team partnership qualities of volunteer leaders, members and staff that all brought an action-oriented, agile approach in meeting the current climate of challenge to science funding and policy. New alliances were …
9 January 2026
AGU statement on U.S. withdrawal from climate and environmental organizations and treaties
The Trump Administration’s announcement that the United States will withdraw from a multitude of international organizations and treaties that support global cooperation on climate and environmental issues is a grievous setback at a moment when the impacts of climate change and environmental degradation are only accelerating and when scientific expertise and collaboration are indispensable to addressing them. Some of these bodies and treaties form the backbone of international climate cooperation. At the center is the United Nations Framework Convention on …
13 November 2025
Don’t Just Reopen Government. Recommit to Science.
The United States has just come through the longest government shutdown in its history—a period of deep uncertainty that exacerbated hardships for the nation. Some scientists still reported for duty, delivering life-saving forecasts and monitoring hazards without pay. But with labs closed and research halted, the critical work behind those services—modeling, maintenance, and long-term observations—was stalled, eroding the scientific foundation that helps protect lives, livelihoods, and the environment. The impacts …
27 October 2025
AGU’s September 2025 Board Meeting Wrap Up
Written by: Christy Till, AGU Board When the AGU Board of Directors convenes, it’s always a journey, not just because of the actual travel but also due to the surprising and enriching places we figuratively visit during our discussions. The journey metaphor also extended to the nature of our agenda when the Board met at AGU headquarters on 25-26 September 2025, as we began discussing the present state of affairs …
6 October 2025
AGU Condemns Threatened Mass Firings of U.S. Federal Workforce During Shutdown
I write to you today outraged on behalf of everyone who depends on a functioning government. Last Wednesday, the U.S. government shut down. Now, the threat of mass firings looms over our federal workforce. Many of our members are hardworking U.S. federal scientists who have dedicated their careers to serving the public. When federal scientists are forced from government service, they often lose their life’s work—and the agencies they serve …
1 October 2025
AGU Statement on the U.S. Government Shutdown
A government shutdown at any time is devastating for U.S. science and the public it serves. Immobilizing the government halts critical research, disrupts data collection and delays life-saving work on climate, health and natural disasters. AGU stands firmly against these harmful disruptions and calls on Congress and the Administration to work together in a bipartisan effort to not only reopen the government but also provide robust and committed support …
29 July 2025
Repealing EPA’s Endangerment Finding Threatens Decades of Climate Progress
We are deeply alarmed by the Environmental Protection Agency’s plan to reverse its longstanding endangerment finding for greenhouse gases. This action undermines decades of rigorous scientific research showing that carbon dioxide, methane and other emissions pose a clear threat to human health and welfare. AGU stands firmly with the global scientific community: The weight of evidence is unequivocal, and regulatory safeguards must reflect the best available science. By reversing …
10 July 2025
Dr. Mark Moldwin Appointed to AGU Board
I am pleased to share that longtime AGU member and volunteer leader Dr. Mark Moldwin has been appointed to fill an open seat on the AGU Board of Directors. Mark brings a wealth of organizational expertise as the inaugural president of the Education section and a past member of the AGU Audit Committee, Ethics Task Force, Publications Committee and Development Board. He currently serves on the advisory boards of the …
2 June 2025
Forward with Purpose, Determined with Action
We have a promising update regarding the case for which AGU is one of the plaintiffs. In AMERICAN FEDERATION OF GOVERNMENT EMPLOYEES, AFL-CIO, et al., v. Donald J. Trump et al., Judge Susan Illston of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California granted the request for a preliminary injunction, which blocks the government from executing any of their reduction-in-force (RIFs) and reorganization plans until the case comes to …
9 May 2025
AGU Board of Directors Meeting, April 2025
“For all its uncertainty, we cannot flee the future.” – Barbara Jordan As board members, staff partners, council members and Fellows, our jobs in governance for AGU are defined by that thought. We cannot flee and we must lead. On 9-11 April, the AGU Board of Directors met in the conference center of our net-zero headquarters building in Washington, DC. We missed the cherry blossoms, but we arrived just in …
7 May 2025
AGU Board of Directors selects new Executive Director and CEO Janice R. Lachance
The American Geophysical Union (AGU) Board of Directors and Executive Search Committee is pleased to announce AGU’s new Executive Director and CEO is Janice R. Lachance, J.D., Fellow of the American Society of Association Executives (FASAE) and the National Academy of Public Administration. The Board of Directors and the Executive Search Committee believe Janice embodies the versatile leadership qualities and competencies required to lead AGU’s complex scientific enterprise into the …
29 April 2025
Who We Are, What We Fight For: AGU and the Administration’s First 100 Days
Today is Day 100 of the U.S. Administration. Media pundits, policymakers, and legal scholars are all marking this with a wide range of analysis and discussion. But we can also measure these first 100 days in actions of care, support, and leadership. AGU is committed to a global partnership that amplifies and supports science lifting the needs and voices of our members. Our approach these past 100 days is just …
28 April 2025
AGU Files New Lawsuit to Prevent Dismantling of U.S. Scientific Agencies
AGU has an important mission. Every day, we work to support and inspire a global community in advancing Earth and space sciences for the benefit of humanity and the environment. We pursue this mission by supporting scientists throughout their careers, from the time they publish their first paper to the day they present the culmination of years of research at our Annual Meeting. AGU supports students and scientists with individualized …
24 April 2025
All in this Together: Protecting the Global Scientific Enterprise
AGU is a global community. Across 6 continents, in 200 countries and regions, we connect with one another, championing research, discovery, and solutions. Borders, languages, time zones, and customs might zig zag their way across our membership map, but science remains our guiding star and our uniting purpose. It’s even woven into an official AGU position statement: the Earth and space sciences are borderless and their data, a world heritage. …
21 April 2025
Remembering Pope Francis’ Climate Leadership
AGU mourns the passing of Pope Francis. A champion for people around the world, His Holiness staked out important new ground in spreading awareness, education and hope in facing the global climate crisis. Many actions by Pope Francis speak to his commitment to the climate issue. In 2015, in a first time papal encyclical on climate, Laudato Si, Pope Francis cited the vulnerability of poorer populations and nations to climate …
11 April 2025
The U.S. National Climate Assessment Must Stay on Track — Our Future Depends on It
Climate change is no longer a distant threat—it is a present and accelerating crisis reshaping every facet of life. Decades of rigorous, peer-reviewed science leave no room for doubt that human-driven climate change is fueling more extreme weather, endangering lives and disrupting economies. In 2024 alone, the United States faced 27 disasters that resulted in more than $1 billion each in losses and claimed more than 550 lives, from Hurricane …
