Daniel Swain, a climate scientist at UCLA and UC ANR, has voiced criticism of the recent widespread layoffs at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the National Weather Service (NWS). In a public statement and during a live briefing on YouTube, Swain highlighted the potential consequences, stating, “there will be people who die in extreme weather events & related disasters who would not have otherwise.”
Swain expressed concern over the firing of new hires and recently promoted senior staff at NOAA, emphasizing that these positions are “mission-critical and life-saving roles.” He explained that private weather companies in the U.S. rely heavily on data, instrumentation, predictive modeling, and forecasts provided by NOAA, which are funded by taxpayers.
He warned of the impacts of staffing reductions, saying, “To be clear: If there were to be large staffing reductions at NOAA and NWS — at appears is now indeed underway, with credible reports of larger further cuts on horizon — there will be people who die in extreme weather events and related disasters who would not have otherwise.” Swain criticized the staff cuts as being “spectacularly short-sighted” and suggested they would “deal a major self-inflicted wound to the public safety of Americans and the resiliency of the American economy to weather and climate-related disasters.”
