On Friday, Jan. 23, the United States National Science Foundationposted a “Dear Colleague Letter” on its website stating that NSF “invites concepts for efficient and cost-effective operations and management of atmospheric observational platforms, cyberinfrastructure and computing capabilities, and community training on weather and space weather modeling and forecasting.” This brazen message requests expressions of interest in and/or concepts of operation for National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) space weather activities, weather modeling and atmospheric observing capabilities and specifically “ownership of the NSF NCAR Mesa Lab (located in Boulder, Colorado) for public or private use.”
There is a letter-writing period now open until March 13. Submitted documents must be limited to “2-3 pages in length per topic addressed.” Responses can be sent to NSF_NCAR@nsf.gov.
I welcome you to weigh in with your views. For potential guidance, here is my letter:
Dear National Science Foundation,
I write as an individual private citizen of this country. My views expressed here are personal views and should not be considered as representing organizations at this time.
I reject the premise of this call for the breakup and breakdown of these platforms, activities, capabilities and collaborations in these challenging times. This shortsighted, ideologically-driven initiative risks dismantling the post-war enterprise based here in the United States that has become the hub and leader of international scientific collaboration.
In 1945, Vannevar Bush — 7th cousin once removed from George W. Bush — sent a report to then-President Harry Truman entitled “Science, the Endless Frontier.” Bush was Director of the Office of Scientific Research and Development at that time, and this was a call for the U.S. government to step forward in a time of post-war uncertainty to provide sustained funding for scientific research in order to ensure national security and public health. The ambition expressed in this proposal charted a path for the establishment of this National Science Foundation in 1950, as well as many other scientific commitments that have made the U.S. the envy and leader of the scientific world in the intervening 80 years.
In these times, average temperatures have been the highest in 150 years of recorded history. In 2026, we see the highest carbon dioxide concentrations in the atmosphere in the last 14 million years: when I was born in 1973, CO2 concentrations were 328 parts per million (ppm), and now they’re around 429 ppm. It is fundamentally important — as responsible adults in this world — to recognize that as inhabitants of planet Earth, we are all responsible for the changing climate. We must also note that these human-caused changes in the climate are linked to many challenges, including population pressures, poverty, consumption, water quality, local air quality, resilience and public health. These threats then connect to increasing cancer rates, the spread of infectious diseases and threats to human rights.
In 2026, human-caused climate change has become a defining symbol of our collective relationship with the environment. Decisions about what to do in the face of scientific evidence make for high-stakes, high-profile and highly politicized science and policy deliberations. NCAR monitoring, modeling and observations help us make sense of these complexities and should not be shut down as they provide insight for better decision making in the 21st century.
In December, the U.S. Trump administration announced plans to effectively threaten the livelihoods of over 800 employees — as well as the billions of people they serve — when they announced a closure of NCAR. Malevolence, vindictiveness and ideology — not logic, problem-solving, common sense, information, data — drive this call. This is an affront to cooperative behavior necessitated by cohabitation on this planet. This is a rejection of the everyday realities of all of us living through these troubled times. These efforts will exacerbate suffering here in the U.S. and around the world.
Plans to shutter NCAR are misguided. Through this call to destruction, we effectively squander opportunities here in the U.S. for security, prosperity and positive change. Execution of this action will threaten habitability, water and air quality, environmental and public health, as well as national security and prosperity. We must instead re-commit ourselves to collective, just and resilient futures and stop this special-interest sabotage.
– Max Boykoff
This is a biweekly sustainability and environment column authored by Max Boykoff. Max is a faculty member at the University of Colorado Boulder, though these the views expressed here are based upon his scholarly expertise and research/creative experience as well as personal views and should not be considered the university’s official position on any specific issue.
To send a letter to the editor about this article, submit online or check out our guidelines for how to submit by email or mail.