ATLANTIC OCEAN - SEPTEMBER 8: In this NOAA image taken by the GOES satellite, Hurricane Lee crosses the Atlantic Ocean as it moves west on September 8, 2023. Lee reached Category 5, but then weakened slightly to Category 4 as it expected to be a dangerous storm as it moves over the southwest Atlantic. It is too early to know if it will directly affect the United States. (Photo by NOAA via Getty Images)
Washington D.C. – The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) will no longer track the financial toll of climate change-driven disasters after 2024, marking a significant shift in how the U.S. government monitors the escalating cost of extreme weather. The decision, confirmed by the agency this week, has drawn sharp criticism from climate experts and scientists, who say it comes at a time when such data is more vital than ever.
NOAA, which operates under the U.S. Department of Commerce and oversees the National Weather Service, announced that its National Centers for Environmental Information would no longer update the Billion-Dollar Weather and Climate Disasters database. The archive, which dates back to 1980, has documented hundreds of costly events, including hurricanes, wildfires, floods, freezes, and heat waves, estimating damages that total in the trillions of dollars.
According to NOAA Communications Director Kim Doster, the move is “in alignment with evolving priorities, statutory mandates, and staffing changes.” Critics, however, argue it’s part of a broader Trump administration effort to diminish the role of climate change in federal policymaking and public awareness.
“The NOAA database is the gold standard we use to evaluate the costs of extreme weather,” said Jeff Masters, a meteorologist with Yale Climate Connections. “It’s a major loss, since it comes at a time when we need to better understand how much climate change is increasing disaster losses.”
The announcement comes amid sweeping changes to NOAA. Earlier this year, the Trump administration fired hundreds of probationary federal NOAA employees as part of Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency campaign to reduce the size of the federal workforce. A second round of layoffs in March eliminated over 1,000 positions — more than 10% of the agency’s staff — with warnings from insiders that the cuts could endanger lives and harm the economy.
The database was unique in its access to federal and state data, including FEMA assistance, insurance claims, and proprietary industry estimates. Experts warn that without it, the public and policymakers will lose a critical tool for understanding and responding to the mounting costs of a warming planet.
“This doesn’t change the fact that these disasters are escalating year over year,” said Kristina Dahl of Climate Central. “It’s critical that we highlight those events when they’re happening. All of these changes will make Americans less safe in the face of climate change.”
While some private databases exist, they are often limited, less accessible, and lack the breadth of NOAA’s data. The change is part of a broader pattern under Trump to eliminate references to climate change from federal documents, while boosting polluting industries like coal, oil and gas.
