Washington, D.C. — A group of climate communication experts, many of whom were terminated or marginalized by the Trump administration, is launching an independent nonprofit website, climate.us, to restore public access to critical climate science and data. The initiative aims to resurrect the mission of the popular federal portal climate.gov, which became largely inaccessible and no longer updated after its staff were dismissed earlier this year. This move underscores a growing effort by the scientific community to safeguard climate information from political interference and ensure its continued availability to the public.
The launch of climate.us comes in response to what former federal scientists describe as a systematic effort by the Trump administration to suppress climate research, dismantle climate-focused programs, and remove climate data from government websites. This new platform seeks not only to re-establish a trusted source for climate literacy but also to expand its scope by offering direct services to communities grappling with the impacts of a changing climate.
Erosion of Federal Climate Science Resources
The Trump administration has been described as pursuing an "anti-climate subversion" agenda, particularly targeting climate research and information dissemination. In February, hundreds of employees within the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) were dismissed, with more re-fired in April after a court ruling cleared the way. This series of terminations directly impacted the team behind climate.gov, which served as one of the internet's most widely used portals for climate information, recording approximately 15 million page views in 2024. After staff departures in early June, the site became virtually obsolete, its content intentionally buried within a larger government domain and no longer updated.
Beyond climate.gov, the administration's actions extended to other vital climate science initiatives. Nearly 400 scientists working on the congressionally mandated National Climate Assessment (NCA) were dismissed in April. The U.S. Global Change Research Program (USGCRP), which oversaw the NCA, saw its website shuttered and previous reports either removed or made difficult to access. Researchers noted that even innocuous terms related to diversity, equity, and justice were purged from federal websites, and in one instance, "Gulf of Mexico" was reportedly altered to "Gulf of America" following an executive order. The scale of data removal and restricted access has been termed a "full-blown purge" by environmental scientists, creating significant challenges for policymakers, researchers, and the public who rely on this information for critical issues like disaster preparedness and climate justice.
The Rebirth of a Vital Resource: Climate.us
Undeterred by the federal setbacks, Rebecca Lindsey, the former managing editor of climate.gov, is leading the charge to revive the site's mission through climate.us. Supported by former colleagues and other climate communication experts, the team is establishing a nonprofit organization to sustain the effort. The new platform aims to directly replicate much of the public-oriented content that was previously available on climate.gov.
"A lot of federal employees are grieving over the sense that they've not just lost a job, but a vocation," Lindsey stated. "None of us were ready to let go of climate.gov and the mission." The team believes there is a clear public need for trustworthy, agency-independent information on climate science, especially given the previous site's popularity in educating people about both natural climate patterns and climate change.
The development of climate.us is currently in its planning and pre-launch phase, with efforts underway to secure funding. While the project has received initial support, including donated domain registration and web hosting, a crowdfunding campaign has been initiated to secure the larger operational funding needed for long-term sustainability. Lindsey emphasizes that operating "outside the federal fence" presents new opportunities for climate communications, including the ability to discuss topics such as global warming and carbon dioxide mitigation, which were previously beyond the scope of a federal agency website.
Expanding the Mission and Restoring Public Trust
The vision for climate.us extends beyond merely archiving and republishing past content. The independent nature of the nonprofit allows the team to adopt an expanded mission, offering public-facing interpretations of climate science and direct climate-related services. This includes assisting local governments with critical tasks such as mapping increased flooding risks, a service that becomes increasingly vital as communities face more frequent and intense extreme weather events. The previous version of climate.gov was a dynamic portal, regularly updated with explanations about the latest impacts of climate change, a function that the new site aims to restore and enhance.
This initiative represents a significant pushback against the "denial by erasure" strategy observed in the Trump administration, where crucial climate information was removed or manipulated to undermine policy discussions. By creating an "uncensored" archive of climate.gov's original content, climate.us plans to restore the integrity of information that was lost or altered. The former federal employees describe a new sense of freedom in their work, unburdened by bureaucratic constraints, even experimenting with new communication platforms like TikTok to engage a broader audience. This newfound flexibility allows them to be more responsive and creative in their approach to climate education and outreach.
A Future of Independent Climate Information
The revival of climate.us by former federal climate experts signifies a critical effort to maintain the flow of accurate, science-based information to the public. In an era where climate data and scientific findings have been subjected to political pressure and intentional obfuscation, this independent platform serves as a vital safeguard for climate literacy. The dedication of these scientists to their vocation, even after facing job losses, underscores the profound importance they place on ensuring that communities and individuals have the knowledge needed to understand and adapt to climate change.
As climate-related challenges continue to mount globally, the need for accessible, unbiased scientific information remains paramount. Through crowdfunding and the dedication of its team, climate.us seeks to become a foundational hub for climate intelligence, free from political influence, ensuring that the public retains access to the data necessary for informed decision-making in a rapidly changing world.
