· 3 min read
illuminem summarises for you the essential news of the day. Read the full piece on ABC News or enjoy below:
🗞️ Driving the news: The Trump administration has proposed ending funding for NASA’s Orbiting Carbon Observatories (OCO-2 and OCO-3), which track global carbon dioxide emissions and plant health, in the FY2026 budget
• The missions — a satellite launched in 2014 and an instrument on the International Space Station since 2019 — are regarded by scientists as unmatched in sensitivity and accuracy, yet NASA says they are “beyond their prime mission” and being cut to align with presidential budget priorities
🔭 The context: The OCO missions have generated pivotal insights, such as revealing that the Amazon now emits more carbon than it absorbs and mapping the role of boreal forests in carbon uptake
• Their ability to detect photosynthetic activity allows early warnings of drought and crop failure, supporting climate policy, agricultural planning, and food security
• The proposed termination mirrors other administration moves to reduce climate science funding and visibility, raising concerns among researchers and lawmakers.
🌍 Why it matters for the planet: Shutting down these missions would weaken the world’s capacity to monitor greenhouse gas dynamics, verify emissions pledges, and forecast agricultural impacts in a warming climate
• Without such high-precision data, policymakers and international agreements like the Paris Accord would lose a critical evidence base for tracking progress and designing interventions
• The loss could also undermine early-warning systems for famine and drought in vulnerable regions
⏭️ What's next: Congress must decide whether to preserve funding before the fiscal year ends on September 30
• The House budget proposal supports the termination, while the Senate version retains funding
• If no budget is passed, a continuing resolution could maintain operations temporarily, though administration delays remain possible
• NASA is accepting outside proposals until August 29 to continue operating the ISS-based instrument, but the free-flying satellite may be deorbited unless legal and operational hurdles to foreign or private control are resolved.
💬 One quote: “The principle seems to be that if we stop measuring climate change it will just disappear from the American consciousness.” — Michael Mann, climate scientist, University of Pennsylvania
📈 One stat: Eight to 10 percent of the planet’s carbon dioxide emissions are tracked with unprecedented precision by the OCO missions — data no other system currently matches
Explore carbon credit purchases, total emissions, and climate targets of thousands of companies on Data Hub™ — the first platform designed to help sustainability providers generate sales leads!
Click for more news covering the latest on public governance and carbon
