The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration announced Thursday it will archive its database of billion-dollar climate disasters, as the Trump administration reduces the resources available to the agency.
The database has measured the direct costs of major weather disasters in the U.S. since 1980. It collects information from federal and state agencies and insurance companies to estimate the dollar impacts of individual events such as hurricanes or wildfires. As the data accumulates, it also provides insight into historical weather and climate trends, and future-looking disaster risk mapping for the whole U.S.
But NOAA said Thursday the tool "will be retired, with no updates beyond calendar year 2024." The changes were made in "alignment with evolving priorities, statutory mandates, and staffing changes."
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The data collected in the archive to date will remain accessible.
The last full year of data showed 27 events accounted for more than $182 billion in damage to the U.S. and caused 568 deaths.
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The Trump administration has made deep cuts to NOAA staffing since the beginning of the term, leading experts and lawmakers to warn that lives would be at risk going forward as services and tools were shuttered.
More broadly, the administration has also increased its targeting of climate and environment initiatives. It has sued states to stop them from holding fossil emitters accountable, sought to strip powers of environmental regulation from the government and targeted climate-friendly initiatives with executive orders.
