On March 17, 2005, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) issued guidance preventing the funding of research on the health effects of climate change. The precise scope and effect of the guidance is unclear. In particular, it is unclear whether existing grants for research on the health effects of climate change will be terminated, or whether only future funding is impacted by the guidance.
Dr. Lisa Patel, executive director of The Medical Society Consortium on Climate and Health, called the new guidance “catastrophic” and said it would be “devastating” to critical research. A spokesperson for HHS said the agency “is taking action to terminate research funding that is not aligned with NIH and HHS priorities.”