Federal Scientists Forced to Speak in Code on Climate

Scientists are being forced to speak in code—and it’s happening right now inside our own government.

At the U.S. Department of Agriculture, researchers have been warned to avoid even using the words “climate change.” Instead, they’re disguising their work with phrases like “extreme weather,” “soil health,” or “elevated temperatures” to avoid political scrutiny and protect their funding. This isn’t hypothetical—it’s already happening.

Let that sink in: in the middle of a worsening climate crisis, American scientists are being pushed to hide the truth just to do their jobs.

This censorship isn’t isolated. It’s part of a broader political push under the Trump administration that is now affecting federal research agencies—including the National Science Foundation (NSF), one of the world’s leading funders of climate science.

Reporting shows climate-related research funding is being delayed, re-reviewed, or reshaped in ways that discourage explicit references to climate change. Scientists are rewriting grant proposals to remove terms like “climate change” and “environmental justice”—not because the science has changed, but because the political environment has.

That’s not how science works. That’s how suppression works.

When researchers are forced to self-censor, the consequences are real. Farmers lose critical data during drought preparation. Communities lose early warnings about floods and wildfires. Public health officials lose the tools they need to respond to heat waves and pollution.

And all of us lose time we don’t have.

Congress must act now to stop this dangerous political interference.

We call on Congress—and federal science agencies, including the NSF—to:

1: Immediately end all political censorship of climate science across federal agencies

2: Restore and protect full funding for climate and environmental research

3: Guarantee that scientists can use accurate, evidence-based language without fear of retaliation

4: Investigate and expose efforts to suppress or manipulate scientific research

Science should never have to hide behind code words. Our future depends on honest, transparent research—and the freedom to speak the truth.

Add your name now: Tell Congress to stop the censorship and defend climate science before it’s too late.

The petition to Congress and federal science agencies reads: We call on you to act to end political censorship of climate science, restore full funding for critical research, and protect scientists’ right to speak openly and accurately about the climate crisis without fear of retaliation—because forcing researchers to speak in code undermines their work and puts vital science at risk.
_______

Source:

https://grist.org/language/climate-federal-research-grants-national-science-foundation/