The White House Killed This One of a Kind Report. The Scientists Behind It Aren’t Giving Up

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Libby Denkmann and Alec Cowan · KUOW · April 22, 2025

Featuring Phil Levin, member of the Center’s Research Collaborative

Phil Levin is a Professor of Practice at UW, the Lead Scientist for the Nature Conservancy of Washington, and a member of the UW Center for Nature and Health’s Research Collaborative.

“Our world is changing. It’s changing rapidly. Like, we can see climate changing our world as we speak, but also, we’re losing nature at unprecedented rates, and there’s an equity crisis as well.”

That was University of Washington professor Phil Levin two years ago. At the time, he’d just been tapped by the Biden Administration for a one of a kind mission: writing the most all encompassing review ever of nature throughout the entirety of the United States.

“The National Nature Assessment,” as it was called, was to be a wide ranging report on the state of and potential threats to the U.S.’s varied ecosystems.

Trump canceled the ‘National Nature Assessment.’ Scientists want to publish it anyway

Written by

Kim Malcolm and John O’Brien · KUOW · February 11, 2025

Featuring Howard Frumkin, Nature and Health co-founder and Steering Committee member

After months of work, a group of scientists were close to publishing a U.S. government study called the National Nature Assessment. Experts in various fields had measured the relative health of lands, water and wildlife. One of the goals was to gauge what changes in the natural world might mean for humans. Then, President Trump took office for a second time. Within days, the first draft of the study was shelved.

Howard Frumkin is a professor emeritus of Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences at the University of Washington School of Public Health. He told KUOW’s Kim Malcolm about his work on the study.

Comment Period: National Nature Assessment

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The U.S. Global Change Research Program is conducting the First National Nature Assessment to assess changes in nature as an aspect of global change. The scope of NNA1 is to assess the status, observed trends, and future projections of America’s lands, waters, wildlife, biodiversity, and ecosystems and the benefits they provide, including connections to the economy, public health, equity, climate mitigation and adaptation, and national security.

The U.S. Global Change Research Program is seeking public comment on their suggested themes and topics. All comments must be submitted via the Review & Comment System by November 21, 2024 at 11:59 pm EDT.

Contact engagement@usgcrp.gov with any questions or concerns.