A number of climate scientists have fled the US for Norway’s research institutes in the wake of Donald Trump pushing through his anti-science and anti-climate crisis agenda, Norway’s minister for research has said.
The first year of Trump’s second term saw the US government cut thousands of jobs at federal science agencies, slash grant money for universities, and effectively end government-backed research into the climate crisis, notably with the announcement in December that the Colorado-based National Center for Atmospheric Research would close.
More than 10,000 doctorate-trained experts in science and other fields have now left federal government employment, according to one analysis, sparking fears of a scientific brain drain in the US.
Now, Sigrun Gjerløw Aasland has told The Independent that US scientists have joined research institutes in her country over the past year, many of which are prioritising pioneering climate research in the Arctic.
Last summer, the centre-left Norwegian government announced a 100 million NOK (£8m) programme to attract international researchers. So far, some 27 scientists have come to Norway under the programme, including 23 from the US.
“We are a small country that will not be able to solve climate change on our own, so we are keen to attract international students and researchers to boost our research output,” explained Ms Aasland.
The Climate research programmes the scientists have joined include one monitoring and assessing polar ice sheets, another looking at biodiversity and wind energy, and others researching the circular economy, battery systems, climate resilience, and the relationship between the carbon cycle and fresh water.
Scientists are attracted to Norway, Ms Aasland said, due to the oil-rich country’s well-funded institutions, the high Norwegian quality of life, as well as its position on the “frontline” of the climate crisis, with around 35 per cent of the country lying to the North of the Arctic Circle.
Recent months have seen Trump’s posturing over the Arctic, including repeated threats over a possible invasion of the Danish territory of Greenland.
Norway, however, is keen to ensure that climate research continues to be prioritised in the Arctic, which is a region warming four times faster than the global average.
“The Arctic is an area where security and climate really intertwine, and Norway has a clear ambition to deepen our understanding in this part of the world, so that we can act as the world's eyes and ears in the North,” Ms Aasland said.
Areas of priority for Arctic research, she added, include looking into how climate change is affecting polar nature and natural resources; how melting polar ice might impact international relations and security; and also how we might expect global warming to impact the rest of the world in the future, given that the Arctic is warming so much faster than other parts of the world.
While some nations increasingly seem to be seeing the melting ice as an opportunity, Ms Aasland was unequivocal that climate change is a major threat to humanity, but one that must nonetheless be better understood in order to boost humanity’s long-term chance of survival.
“Climate change is an enormous threat to life and well being,” the minister said. “Therefore we need to better understand it so that we can mitigate it as effectively as possible.”
US states fighting back
Back in the US, recent weeks have seen a reprieve of sorts for the scientific community, with Congress pushing back against the Trump administration's requests to slash funding for the National Institutes of Health, National Science Foundation and NASA in its 2026 spending bill.
Moreover, while federal support for climate projects might have been eliminated on the ferderal level, there remains the possibility for individual states to support climate science and innovation.
The New Mexico Innovation Hub, for example, is a new initiative New Mexico, which maintains a 64-acre campus in the state capital of Santa Fe. It supports startups across sectors including nuclear fusion energy, solar and wind power, and battery technology innovation.
“Here in New Mexico, we have fantastic wind, solar and geothermal resources, and forward-sighted leadership that is continuing to see the benefits of climate action,” explains David Perez, who is CEO of the Innovation Hub. “When the Trump administration came in and started denying climate and cutting all these programmes, we doubled down.”
The state has kept a plan to decarbonise its energy system by 2040, and in February the state legislature approved a $1.1bn (£800m) economic development plan that includes significant funding for renewable energy and climate-related investments.
Despite remaining bullish when it comes to his state’s climate prospects, Mr Perez is clear about just how devastating federal actions have been for national climate progress in the US.
“The impacts of what Trump is going to continue being seen for many years to come,” he said, adding that the news that the US is losing climate scientists to countries like Norway is “really problematic”.
“Unfortunately, you can chop down a one-hundred year-old tree in just half an hour,” Mr Perez said. “In the same way, it’s going to take us a long time to rebuild from actions like the destruction of the Environment Protection Agency and other cuts to climate support.”
This article has been produced as part of The Independent’s Rethinking Global Aid project
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