Federal government ends support for key Arctic climate report
The Arctic, often seen as merely a remote, icy landscape, actually plays a central role in regulating the planet’s climate. And now a key report on changes to the region will not be supported by the federal government.
For two decades, NOAA’s Arctic Report Card has tracked shifts across the land, atmosphere, ocean and ice, providing a comprehensive view of the health and changing conditions of this vital region.
The Arctic is warming much faster than the global average, meaning these impacts are expected to quickly escalate in the coming decades, with consequences reaching far beyond the region itself, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). But now, the agency has announced that it will no longer sponsor the annual report.
“Coordination of the 2026 Arctic Report Card will not be facilitated through NOAA,” Kim Doster, director of NOAA Communications, confirmed in a statement to ABC News. “All data historically contributed by NOAA to the product will continue to be collected and will remain publicly available.”
The agency did not specify what led to the decision to cut support for the report.
A climate scientist who has contributed to previous reports says he is concerned that eliminating it could impact researchers’ ability to monitor and better understand the Arctic and Earth’s climate overall.
“Discontinuing it would create a significant gap in our ability to track and connect these changes from year to year, with implications for people and communities around the world,” said Zack Labe, a climate scientist who has been an author of the report since 2020. “The loss of the Arctic Report Card would be significant not only for the scientific community, but also for decision-makers and the public.”
NOAA says that while they will no longer support the report, the agency will continue to monitor and study that region.
“The Global Ocean Monitoring and Observing Arctic Research Program will continue to support observations, models and products that contribute to national security, weather prediction, safety of navigation, and the economic vitality of coastal communities,” Doster added.
Last year marked the 20th year of the Arctic Report Card, which is typically announced at the American Geophysical Union (AGU) annual meeting in December, the largest gathering of Earth and space scientists in the world.
“The peer-reviewed Arctic Report Card has annually provided the global communities and decision makers with crucial new information from a critical region of the world. For 20 years, its release has been a hallmark of our annual meeting and something researchers worldwide rely on,” said AGU President Brandon Jones.
The future of this year’s report, which is already in progress, remains uncertain. It is unclear whether researchers will be able to complete the report or whether it will be published. However, the AGU tells ABC News that they are exploring ways to ensure that the latest Arctic data and research are shared with both the scientific community and the public.
“AGU stands ready to engage with the author team as well as other subject matter experts involved with the 21st edition of the report card so that we might find a way to share these key data points and ensure science continues to grow and advance," Jones added.
The report card is produced for a broad audience and developed by more than 100 scientists from around the world, reflecting international expertise and collaboration. It is a primary source of timely information for the media, students, scientists, Arctic communities and other decision-makers interested in the Arctic environment and science.
The 2025 report found that the Arctic experienced its warmest year on record, fueling melting glaciers, shrinking sea ice, and shifts in local ecosystems. And in 2024, the report revealed a startling shift. Rapidly warming conditions and rising wildfire activity turned the Arctic tundra into a source of carbon dioxide emissions. For thousands of years prior, the region acted as an important carbon sink, providing a net removal of the heat-trapping greenhouse gas from the atmosphere.
Beyond these key findings, the reports have also provided valuable insight into more specialized areas of Arctic research, according to climate scientists. That work has included studying Arctic marine acoustics, which are changing as sea ice declines and shipping increases, as well as research into marine microplastic pollution and its effects on Arctic ecosystems.
“Without this key resource connecting all of these dots across the physical, ecological, and social sciences, we would be much less prepared to understand how the Arctic is changing,” Labe added.
