A group of former National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) employees has relaunched a climate science website that was discontinued last year during the Trump administration. The new platform, climate.us, mirrors the content previously available on climate.gov, which included climate data, reports, articles, and national climate assessments mandated by Congress.
The revived site officially went live Tuesday, serving as what project lead Rebecca Lindsey described as the “first full clone” of climate.gov. Lindsey, who was a program manager and lead editor at the original site, was among hundreds of NOAA staff cut in February 2023 amid federal staffing reductions. Climate.gov ceased functioning in June 2023, with its web address redirecting to a separate NOAA site. Lindsey noted that some of the data and resources became inaccessible, describing the shutdown as “heartbreaking.” At the same time, the federal government also removed the website for the U.S. Global Change Research Program, which archived national climate reports and adaptation information. In July 2023, the Department of Energy released a report that minimized the risks of global warming, a document later ruled unlawful by a judge.
In response to the closure and lack of public access, Lindsey and a small team of former NOAA employees initiated a crowdfunding campaign that raised approximately $280,000 to restore the site’s resources. They undertook an extensive review and reorganization of over a thousand reports, datasets, articles, and other materials from archived sources. The result is a freely accessible website offering up-to-date information on climate indicators, scientific blogs, maps, educational resources, and access to significant publications such as the Fifth National Climate Assessment, a key report on climate risks in the United States.
NOAA’s communications director, Kim Doster, stated that research products formerly hosted on climate.gov remain available on NOAA.gov and related websites. However, supporters of climate.us emphasize the importance of having a dedicated, publicly oriented climate resource. Amanda Townley, executive director of the National Center for Science Education, praised the original climate.gov for its ability to translate complex scientific information for teachers, journalists, and the general public, noting its responsiveness to current weather events and proactive debunking of misinformation on social media.
Lindsey said the new site aims to serve the same audiences as its predecessor but with expanded flexibility outside government oversight. This autonomy allows climate.us to incorporate data not only from NOAA but also from other agencies and local or regional sources. “The best solutions to our climate challenges are going to come from a climate literate public,” Lindsey remarked, highlighting the project’s ongoing commitment to public engagement and education.