Federal Scientists Avoid Climate Terms to Keep Research Alive

Scientists Rework Climate Research Language

Scientists across federal agencies and academic institutions are increasingly avoiding terms such as "climate change" in order to keep their work moving forward under the Trump administration. Researchers have begun reframing studies, changing wording in proposals and publications, and looking for alternative funding sources to preserve climate-related research.

This practice, described by researchers as a form of "climate hushing," reflects broader concerns that federal policy is discouraging open discussion of climate science. The shift has raised alarms about whether scientists will be able to continue producing information communities need to adapt to changing environmental conditions.

Restrictions and Funding Changes

At the U.S. Department of Agriculture's research division, staff have reportedly been told to avoid more than 100 words and phrases, including "climate change," "global warming," and "carbon sequestration." In response, researchers have substituted terms such as "elevated temperatures," "soil health," and "extreme weather" to improve their chances of getting work approved or published.

Similar changes have appeared across the federal research system. The number of National Science Foundation grants mentioning "climate change" has fallen by 77% under Trump, while use of phrases like "extreme weather" has increased as scientists try to avoid politically sensitive wording. Some researchers say programs have been eliminated simply because "CC," shorthand for climate change, appeared in a title.

Researchers Describe a Practical Shift

Ethan Roberts, union president at the National Center for Agricultural Utilization Research in Peoria, Illinois, said researchers have sometimes changed the focus of how they describe their findings rather than directly naming climate-related causes.

Trent Ford, Illinois state climatologist and a research scientist at the Illinois State Water Survey at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, said avoiding the term "climate change" can feel wrong in principle, but has become a practical decision. He said proposals that clearly study climate impacts often still move through the system as long as they avoid the phrase itself.

Uncertain Outlook

Researchers are continuing to adapt both their language and their funding strategies in an effort to keep climate-related work alive. But the longer-term effect on climate science in the United States remains unclear.

For many scientists, the concern is not only how research is described, but whether restrictions on language and funding will narrow the scope of what can be studied at all.