Undermining Academic Freedom and Environmental Research in the US: How European Institutions and Researchers can Fill the Gap

The current US administration's actions have increasingly undermined academic freedom and environmental research, posing significant challenges not only domestically but also globally. This commentary provides a European perspective on the consequences of these developments for scientific inquiry, data availability, and evidence-based policymaking. While our US colleagues document the direct harms within the United States, we emphasize how European researchers and institutions can respond constructively. We discuss strategies for mitigating the impact of reduced US leadership in environmental economics, including strengthening transatlantic collaboration, safeguarding open data, and advancing independent research. Ultimately, we argue that Europe has a critical role to play in sustaining scientific rigor and policy relevance in the face of political disruptions abroad.