When politics interferes with science: fired climate scientists preserve 15 years of data by launching an independent platform
Scientific data should remain accessible, verifiable, and independent of political change. Yet in the United States, recent events have highlighted how even publicly funded scientific information can become vulnerable to shifting political priorities. After the Trump administration shut down the team responsible for managing the popular climate website Climate.gov and redirected its domain, former employees of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) decided to take matters into their own hands. Their solution was the creation of Climate.us, a new independent platform that restores public access to more than 15 years of climate data.
The project represents far more than the launch of another website. It has become a symbol of the growing tension between science and politics, raising important questions about who controls access to publicly funded research and whether scientific information should ever be influenced by political decisions. According to the project’s founders, reliable climate data should remain available regardless of which political party is in power.
Preserving Data That Should Never Have Disappeared
For years, Climate.gov served as one of the United States’ most trusted sources of climate information. The website provided historical weather records, climate indicators, educational resources, and research-based analyses that were widely used by scientists, educators, journalists, policymakers, and the general public.
However, following a major federal reorganization, the website’s operations were discontinued, its domain was redirected, and the team responsible for maintaining the platform was dismissed. As a result, a vast archive of carefully curated scientific information risked becoming inaccessible.
Rather than allowing years of work to disappear, former NOAA program manager Rebecca Lindsey, together with her former colleagues, launched Climate.us through a newly established nonprofit organization. The platform now hosts historical weather data, climate indicators, scientific resources, and the complete Fifth National Climate Assessment, one of the most comprehensive reports on the impacts of climate change in the United States.
A Project Built by the Scientific Community
Unlike the original government-operated website, Climate.us was not funded through federal budgets. Instead, it was made possible through public support. More than 2,500 individual donors contributed approximately $250,000, allowing the nonprofit organization to develop and maintain the platform independently.
The scientific community also played a crucial role. More than 80 volunteer scientists participated in reviewing, verifying, and updating the content to ensure that the information remained accurate, credible, and scientifically sound.
This collaborative effort demonstrates how researchers and citizens can work together to preserve public access to valuable scientific resources, even when institutional support disappears.
Science Under Political Pressure
The creation of Climate.us cannot be viewed in isolation. It comes amid sweeping changes across the U.S. federal government. Since late 2024, nearly 120,000 federal employees have reportedly lost their jobs as part of large-scale workforce reductions affecting agencies including NOAA and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
Supporters of these reforms argue that reducing the size of the federal government improves efficiency and lowers public spending. Critics, however, warn that significant staff reductions may weaken scientific institutions, limit environmental monitoring, and reduce public access to reliable information.
Climate data extend far beyond academic research. They are essential for agriculture, infrastructure planning, emergency management, insurance, energy production, and preparing communities for increasingly frequent extreme weather events.
Keeping Science Independent
The founders of Climate.us emphasize that their initiative is not a political campaign but a commitment to scientific transparency. Their objective is to ensure that publicly funded climate research remains publicly accessible, regardless of changes in government or political leadership.
Rebecca Lindsey has argued that trustworthy scientific information should not disappear every time political priorities shift. By moving climate resources to an independent nonprofit platform, the team hopes to safeguard public access to scientific knowledge for researchers, educators, journalists, and citizens alike.
A Model for the Future?
Climate.us may represent a new model for protecting scientific information. The project demonstrates that when researchers, volunteers, and the public work together, it is possible to preserve critical knowledge even when government institutions withdraw their support.
Ultimately, Climate.us is about much more than climate change. It is a reminder of the importance of open scientific data, public access to research, and the need to protect knowledge from political influence. As societies increasingly rely on evidence-based decision-making, ensuring the long-term availability of trustworthy scientific information may become one of the defining challenges of the modern era.
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