In response to this article: (Live Science)
When Power Choices Put People Last: What the Attack on Weather Science Reveals
On Dec. 16, 2025, the U.S. administration announced plans to dismantle the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) — one of the world’s premier weather and climate research institutions. The reasoning? Officials labeled NCAR a source of “climate alarmism,” deeming its work politically inconvenient rather than indispensable for public safety and resilience. (Live Science)
The decision — and the narrative supporting it — exposes a painful truth: when power and control become the dominant priorities, people’s well-being becomes secondary.
NCAR: Science That Saves Lives
NCAR wasn’t an academic luxury. For over six decades it provided essential research and modeling that:
- improved aviation safety and reduced weather-related risks in flight;
- helped forecast hurricanes, wildfires, floods, and extreme heat;
- powered tools that give warning time for disasters that could otherwise cost lives;
- supported private and public sectors with data that informs emergency response and planning. (Live Science)
What this institution delivered was protection, preparedness, and public good. It helped keep families safe, informed local decision-making, and strengthened community resilience.
Why Dismantle Something That Works?
The official justification — that the institute promoted “climate alarmism” — reveals a deep tension in today’s politics: science that doesn’t align with a leadership’s worldview becomes something to be curtailed, not supported.
This move is part of broader cuts and reorganization of weather and climate science infrastructure — including staff terminations and budget reductions across research agencies, which critics warn can undercut forecasting and hazard mitigation capacity. (Wikipedia)
The implication is stark: if scientific information doesn’t serve a political narrative, its value is questioned — even when that information protects millions.
Power Over People’s Safety
What’s happening here points to a dynamic that goes far beyond one institute:
1. Prioritizing politics over people:
Decisions appear driven more by political framing than by science or human impact. Scientists warn that splitting, weakening, or closing NCAR would degrade forecasting capability just as the climate crisis intensifies. (Live Science)
2. Losing knowledge at a dangerous time:
We are living through an era of record-breaking heat, floods, droughts, hurricanes, and wildfire seasons. Forecasting and integrated atmospheric science are not luxuries in this context — they are essential. (Live Science)
3. Undermining public trust in expertise:
When leaders frame institutions dedicated to safety and preparedness as “alarmists,” it sows confusion and distrust — precisely when communities need clarity, reliable information, and leadership.
The Human Cost of Power-First Choices
It’s easy to talk in abstract terms about budgets and institutions. But behind every forecast model and data set are real people:
- families deciding whether to evacuate ahead of a storm;
- emergency responders coordinating rescues and evacuations;
- towns preparing for flood risks and heat emergencies;
- pilots relying on accurate atmospheric science for safe flights.
Weakening the systems that protect them for the sake of power or narrative control is not just shortsighted — it is dangerous.
A Call for Human-Centered Leadership
If there’s a lesson here for anyone who believes in equitable, resilient, and adaptive communities, it’s this:
👉 Leadership should measure success by who it protects, not by who it convinces.
Investing in science and preparedness — especially in systems that serve all communities — is not a sign of weakness, fear, or “alarmism.” It’s a reflection of responsibility.
At a moment when extreme weather risks are increasing, when communities are confronting compound climate threats, and when every hour of warning can mean the difference between life and death, we need leaders who choose people over politics — humanity over hierarchy.
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