'List of Words to Avoid': What are the New US Government's Climate Change Banned Words?

Climate change banned words: The language of government communication is often precise, but rarely does it become controversial. However, a recent directive issued to staff at the U.S. Energy Department's Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) has thrust semantics into the center of US environmental and political discourse. The agency, which is usually the biggest government investor in renewable energy technologies, has reportedly made a formal list of words that should not be used in official communications. This has sparked a national debate about political censorship and the future of the US energy policy shift.

The directive makes it clear that EERE employees must either remove or rephrase certain words in both internal documents and materials that are meant for the public, such as federal funding requests, reports, and briefings. According to reports, this big change is being made to make the official language match the current leadership's administrative views and priorities.

The List of Climate Change Banned Words

The terms placed on the growing US Energy Department Banned Words list are those fundamental to modern environmental and climate science. The key forbidden phrases include:

• "Climate Change"

• "Green"

• "Emissions" (Banned due to its perceived negative connotation)

• "Decarbonization"

• "Energy Transition"

• "Sustainability" or "Sustainable"

• "'Clean' or 'Dirty' energy"

• "Carbon/CO2 footprint"

• "Tax breaks," "tax credits," or "subsidies" (Terms related to renewable energy financing)

The Energy Department has added “climate change,” “green” and “decarbonization” to its growing “list of words to avoid” at its Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, according to an email issued Friday and obtained by POLITICO.

The words on the DOE list are at the… pic.twitter.com/m3IecEcaQX

— Yahoo News (@YahooNews) September 29, 2025

The Impact on Science and Federal Funding 

For researchers and scientists, a Climate Change Banned Words policy creates an immediate and detrimental bureaucratic hurdle. The core mission of the EERE involves investing in technologies to reduce heat-trapping emissions. When you can't use the words "climate change" to talk about the problem and "decarbonization" to talk about the solution, it makes mission statements, funding opportunity announcements, and internal reports less clear.

Hindrance to Research

Federal funding applications and grants, which often require compliance with administrative language, must be carefully checked to make sure they don't use any of these Federal Grant Banned Words. This adds layers of administrative work and could make it impossible to do important scientific work.

Scientific Silencing

The ban is an example of censorship in US federal agencies. By controlling the words that are used, the government controls the official story. This makes it hard for scientists working for the federal government to share what they learn with the public or other scientists around the world.

Shifting Focus

The new language makes scientists and staff care only about economic and efficiency metrics, like "job creation" and "cost savings," instead of environmental outcomes, like "sustainable growth" and "reduced emissions."

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What’s the Implication of the Trump Administration's Banned Words List?

Limiting vocabulary isn't just a problem in climate science. Broader reports have said that similar lists, which the media often calls the Trump Administration Banned Words List, have targeted words related to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI), public health, and some identity groups.

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In the end, this case teaches us a lot about how science and politics can work together. It shows how language can be used to control what the government pays attention to and how it spends its money. People who want to work in public service or scientific research need to know about these language tricks to keep science honest and push for clear policies.

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