Most of us have heard the ancient proverb, “See no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil.”
In its original form, the saying implied maintaining the moral high ground by not being unduly influenced by the negativity of others. A more contemporary take is that the monkeys acting out the saying are not so wise. Instead, they are being intentionally ignorant.
It is this more contemporary version of the analogy that I reference.
My premise is that federal leadership is expanding on the technique of purposefully “not looking” for environmental threats, then presuming – and suggesting to us – that they are not there since we did not “see” them.
This is achieved by stopping data collection and analysis that would reveal patterns leading to future events. This is a disastrous approach to forecasting, whether you are talking about warfare or weather – kind of like not worrying about a tornado until you can see it.
In December 2025, the Trump administration endeavored to shut down the National Center for Atmospheric Research, claiming it advocated a “woke” agenda, being alarmist about the hazards of burning fossil fuels.
Fortunately, a Colorado judge blocked the closure, so NCAR is still operational.
The National Center for Atmospheric Research helps us understand weather so we and our resources stay safe. Its facilities are located in Boulder, Colorado, but the center relies on data from around the world.
Staff process data from radar and other sources using supercomputing to develop early warning models for potential natural weather disasters such as hurricanes. NCAR thus also helps with aviation safety and the protection of crops and buildings.
Earlier in the summer, the National Science Foundation took another step in removing elements of the Ocean Observatories Initiative. In Donald Trump’s first term, the White House initiated the removal of some of the buoys that were collecting data. This summer’s efforts were an expansion of that.
That program, initiated a decade ago, involved a massive array of hundreds of buoys and deep-sea sensors at a cost of nearly $400 million. The system continuously collects temperature and current data around the world, allowing the visualization of weather and climate trends over time.
The data collected was “open access”; anyone could use it.
Why do we want such information? One example relates to the concern about the collapse of the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation, part of which is the familiar Gulf Stream.
These ocean currents keep European weather milder than it might otherwise be.
For context, London is at the same latitude as Calgary, Canada, yet has a much milder climate. If the current collapses, the climate in northern Europe will be much colder, especially in the winter.
The Gulf Stream also circulates nutrients in the Atlantic Ocean that are critical for fisheries. Without nutrient provisioning from deep, cold waters, the availability of seafood will decline and costs rise.
Here’s another. We are on track to have a record-breaking “super” El Niño this winter. This weather pattern will impact weather worldwide.
On our continent, we are anticipating warmer and drier conditions to the north, and wetter conditions to the south. Winter storms will be more frequent along the West Coast, and with that comes the risk of coastal flooding. A bright spot is a dampened hurricane season in the Atlantic.
Globally, we are likely to see more coral bleaching and harsh rainfall events in South America but drought in Southeast Asia and an increase in vector-borne diseases.
Clearly, knowing what is coming is beneficial. Why stop such a program?
One reason given was to save maintenance costs, which indeed are substantial. Other reasons given are “portfolio management” and Project 2025 goals of scaling back data collection that causes climate alarmism.
What about that savings angle for shutting programs down? Trump cites the budget for the White House ballroom to be on the order of $400 million, and the contractor estimates $600 million.
The latter value is in the ballpark of the entire budget for the Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research, the federal program devoted to climate monitoring, weather and air quality monitoring, and monitoring of marine and coastal ecosystem health.
The Iran war has cost more than an estimated $40 billion so far.
It should be clear that being informed about anything so profoundly influential as climate is critical. To stop looking because you don’t like what you see sounds problematic, whatever the topic.
It brings to mind another saying:
Don’t shoot the messenger.
Bruce Kingsbury is director of Purdue University Fort Wayne’s Waterfield Environmental Resources Center.