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.
By Dr. Jean Pierre Ometto, International Secretary, AGU Board of Directors On Thursday 16 April and Friday 17 April, the AGU Board of Directors gathered for its April meeting in Hoboken, New Jersey at the headquarters of our publishing partner, Wiley. The AGU Board meets with Wiley global leadership every other year to talk about the future of publishing and building our partnership. I was given the assignment to record … Read more
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 … Read more
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. … Read more
It is with deep sadness that we share the passing of Dr. Michael McElroy, who died last month at the age of 86. Dr. McElroy was a towering figure in the Earth and space sciences—a brilliant atmospheric scientist whose contributions fundamentally shaped our understanding of planetary atmospheres, climate science, and environmental policy. His career spanned more than … Read more
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 … Read more
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 … Read more
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 … Read more
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 … Read more
With profound sadness and an immense appreciation for his groundbreaking contributions to the space science community, AGU mourns the passing of our esteemed and much-loved colleague and friend, Professor Michael (Misha) Balikhin. Misha was Editor-in-Chief of AGU’s Journal of Geophysical Research: Space Physics since 2020, where his steadfast leadership, kindness, and charm touched everyone who … Read more