Remember Climate.gov? That vital online hub for all things weather and warming, which abruptly vanished back in 2020? Well, it's back. Not as Climate.gov, but as Climate.us, resurrected by the very scientists who were unceremoniously shown the door by the Trump administration.
Imagine spending years building a comprehensive public resource, only for an executive order to sweep it away. That's precisely what happened when President Trump signed an order regarding federal science research, leading to the shutdown of Climate.gov and the firing of hundreds of staff from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) — including everyone working on the site.
But here's where it gets good: some of those laid-off NOAA employees decided that 15 years of climate news, visual reports, and educational tools shouldn't just disappear into the digital ether. Led by Rebecca Lindsey, the former head editor of Climate.gov and now Managing Director of Climate.us, they spent the last year rebuilding it.
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Start Your News DetoxThey painstakingly recovered thousands of articles, links, and datasets. This included crucial resources like the Fifth National Climate Assessment, a report from the U.S. Global Change Research Program, whose own website also went offline during the same era. Because apparently, reliable climate information is a political football now.
Lindsey's take? Good science shouldn't vanish when the political winds shift. Climate.us is designed to be an independent, nonpartisan platform, focusing purely on what the data says. It’s for anyone trying to understand the climate, teach about it, or make informed decisions in a world that, let’s face it, could use a few more facts.
Launched in 2010, the original Climate.gov was a goldmine of easy-to-understand resources, from interactive maps to teaching materials. The new Climate.us team is carrying that torch, powered by volunteers and a rather impressive US$280,000 raised through crowdsourcing. With over 80 scientists reviewing its content, it's safe to say they're taking accuracy seriously.
So, the next time you need some hard climate facts, you know where to go. It's a testament to the idea that sometimes, the best way to fight for what you believe in is to simply rebuild it, brick by digital brick, exactly as it should be.
