 |
| A nonprofit team has relaunched climate.gov as climate.us. |
In a dramatic turn of events that has shocked the scientific community, the U.S. government's premier climate information website, climate.gov, was effectively dismantled last June. Now, one year later, a dedicated team of scientists and volunteers have brought it back to life as an independent nonprofit.
The Government's "Gold Standard Science" Justification
When visitors try to navigate to climate.gov today, they are met with an unexpected redirect to NOAA's climate page and a terse government statement citing compliance with Executive Order 14303 ("Restoring Gold Standard Science"). The justification given for the deletion was that the climate research previously housed there failed to uphold what the administration labeled "gold standard science."
The message that greets redirected users reads:
"In compliance with Executive Order 14303 ("Restoring Gold Standard Science"), the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy's June 23, 2025 Memorandum ("Agency Guidance for Implementing Gold Standard Science in the Conduct & Management of Scientific Activities"), 15 USC § 2904 ("National Climate Program"), 15 USC § 2934 ("National Global Change Research Plan"), and 33 USC § 893a ("NOAA Ocean and Atmospheric Science Education Programs"), you have been redirected to NOAA.gov. Future research products previously housed under Climate.gov will be available at NOAA.gov/climate and its affiliate websites."
The move effectively made over a decade's worth of climate research, educational resources, and essential data inaccessible through its original home. But the team behind climate.gov refused to let their work disappear.
The Birth of Climate.us: A Rescue Mission
In response to the government's willingness to redact inconvenient climate data from public access, a group of dedicated volunteers stepped in to salvage much of the content. Working tirelessly, they preserved copies of the material—which the federal government is prohibited from copyrighting—and created climate.us as an independent replacement.
Yesterday, June 23, the team announced it had successfully finished restoring all of the content that was lost when climate.gov was taken offline.
The team behind climate.gov, however, refused to let their work disappear. In spite of the government's willingness to redact inconvenient climate data from public access, a group of dedicated volunteers stepped in to salvage much of the content and create climate.us as an independent replacement. Yesterday, June 23, the team announced that it had successfully finished restoring all of the content that was lost when climate.gov was taken offline.
Furthermore, the team has formed a nonprofit to oversee the site's ongoing operations, with ambitions that extend well beyond restoration. Looking forward, they intend to create new tools and fresh educational content aimed at helping everyday people better understand how the climate is changing.
What Climate.us Offers
The newly restored website features Climate.gov's 15-year collection of climate news and stories, expert blogs, visual status reports on key climate indicators, maps and data pathways, climate literacy resources, classroom materials, and restored access to the Fifth National Climate Assessment.
- Read the full story in Ars Technica's coverage.
- Visit the new site.
- Original NOAA climate page (now redirecting).
A Public-Backed Initiative
The launch reflects strong public demand for reliable climate information. One-third of the funding to support the launch of Climate.us came from more than 2,500 small donations totaling approximately $250,000 from people who contributed to help preserve access to science-reviewed climate information. More than 80 scientists have volunteered to serve as subject matter expert reviewers.
"Trusted climate information should not disappear when politics change," said Rebecca Lindsey, Managing Director of Climate.us. "Climate.us is building an independent, durable platform so people can continue to find the data and information they need to understand and talk about climate, and to teach, report, plan, prepare, and make informed decisions."
The team includes several key people who built the original Climate.gov, ensuring continuity and expertise in their approach to climate communication.
Voices from the Scientific Community
The launch has garnered widespread support from prominent scientists and educators:
Katharine Hayhoe, Ph.D. , Atmospheric Scientist and Horn Professor at Texas Tech, stated: "For years, Climate.gov was where I sent people for accurate, trustworthy answers about climate... At a moment when social science highlights public education as a key tipping point for climate action, Climate.us doesn't just carry that forward—it raises the bar."
Richard Spinrad, Ph.D. , former United States Under Secretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere and the 11th Administrator of NOAA, emphasized: "The value and impact that Climate.gov produced cannot be overstated. Climate.us will continue that critical function, and ensure the legacy of providing essential data products and services is sustained, even in the face of political manipulation of the scientific enterprise."
Amanda Townley, Ph.D. , Executive Director of the National Center for Science Education, expressed gratitude: "We at NCSE are thrilled and grateful to see such a vital resource as Climate.us become available to educators, students, and the public! This launch is a critical step in restoring accurate information and reliable data about climate science."
Craig McLean, J.D. , former NOAA Assistant Administrator for Research, noted: "The nation needs reliable climate information, scientifically derived and scientifically proven. As access to federal climate resources has disappeared or become more vulnerable, Climate.us is helping preserve and expand public access to trusted climate information."
From Rescue to Long-Term Public Service
The launch marks a significant shift from rescue work to long-term public service. Climate.us will continue to expand its resources, work with scientific experts, develop accessible visuals and explainers, and help people turn climate knowledge into meaningful conversations and informed action.
Climate.us is not an official U.S. government website. It is an independent nonprofit project created to protect public access to climate knowledge and continue the plain-language, science-reviewed communication that made Climate.gov an essential resource for educators, journalists, decision-makers, and communities across the country.
Looking Forward
The team behind Climate.us is not satisfied with simply restoring what was lost. Having established a nonprofit to maintain the new website, the organization will shift its focus to creating new tools and fresh educational content aimed at helping everyday people better understand how the climate is changing.
Climate.us is building an independent, durable platform so people can continue to find the data and information they need to understand and talk about climate, and to teach, report, plan, prepare, and make informed decisions.
For more information, visit Climate.us to explore the restored resources and learn how you can support the ongoing mission to keep trusted climate information accessible.
Source : Arstechnica, climate.us, NOAA