ProPublica, a nonprofit newsroom dedicated to investigating abuses of power, has reviewed internal records indicating that the National Institutes of Health (NIH) will no longer fund research on the health effects of climate change.
The recent guidance, disseminated to numerous staff members last week, follows several directives to cease NIH funding for grants focused on topics seen as inconsistent with the priorities of the Trump administration. These subjects include gender identity, LGBTQ+ issues, vaccine hesitancy, and diversity, equity, and inclusion.
Although it remains uncertain whether the climate-related guidance will affect active grants and lead to funding terminations, the directive seemingly halts potential future funding for studies or academic programs centered on the health impacts of climate change.
Dr. Lisa Patel, executive director of The Medical Society Consortium on Climate and Health, expressed concern, stating that the administration is heavily influenced by industry voices, in particular the fossil fuel industry. She described the new guidance as “catastrophic” and predicted it would severely hinder essential research efforts.
As extreme weather events continue to become more frequent and severe, researchers have been increasingly studying the impact of climate change on public health. The NIH, which allocates billions annually for biomedical research nationwide, has supported numerous grants and programs in this area over the years.
In 2021, under President Joe Biden, the NIH launched the Climate Change and Health Initiative to facilitate and encourage more extensive research and training. The initiative was allocated $40 million through congressional appropriations for research in 2023 and 2024. However, the initiative and two other similar NIH programs focused on climate change and health were recently dismantled, as reported by Mother Jones.
The latest directive effectively terminates all future climate change and health funding across the agency, regardless of its relation to the previously canceled initiative.
In response to inquiries from ProPublica regarding the directive, a spokesperson for the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) stated that the agency is ending research funding that does not align with NIH and HHS priorities. The spokesperson emphasized the importance of prioritizing research that directly impacts the health of Americans as part of their mission to “Make America Healthy Again.”
During President Donald Trump’s first administration, climate and health researchers encountered difficulties but were able to continue their work, according to Linda Birnbaum, a former director of the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences. She recounted that certain terms were adjusted to fit the administration’s preferences, enabling ongoing research.
In a report from December, the NIH outlined various ongoing climate change and health projects it was sponsoring, including research on the health effects of the Maui wildfires in Hawaii and studies on the impact of heat on fertility and reproductive functions. The Trump administration has since removed this report from online access.
Veena Singla, an adjunct assistant professor at Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health, noted the visible effects of extreme heat and weather on public health.
The NIH directive aligns with the Trump administration’s broader agenda to reduce efforts to document and address climate change. Trump has paused significant funding for climate-related initiatives and issued executive orders promoting fossil fuel production while limiting governmental climate change efforts.
The administration is also contemplating the elimination of the Environmental Protection Agency’s scientific research office, potentially resulting in substantial layoffs, as reported by The New York Times. Scientists within that office have been researching critical issues such as rising temperatures and their influence on air pollution and toxic chemical prevalence.
Neither the NIH nor the White House responded to ProPublica’s request for comments. The EPA also did not comment on whether climate change and health research will continue at the agency, only asserting its focus on protecting human health and the environment.
Although President Trump and Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. hold differing views on climate change, with Kennedy expressing belief in its reality, ProPublica was unable to obtain a response from HHS regarding Kennedy’s views. Dr. Patel expressed skepticism about Kennedy’s support for views contrary to the administration’s agenda, suggesting he would not serve as an anti-industry voice siding with scientific consensus.
