After federal staffing cuts shuttered Climate.gov, former NOAA employees have rebuilt the public climate resource as an independent nonprofit, preserving access to scientific data, reports and educational tools.

Scientists, educators, farmers and anyone seeking reliable climate information have a new destination online after former employees of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) launched Climate.us, an independent nonprofit that recreates much of the functionality of the now-defunct Climate.gov.

The site was created after the Trump administration eliminated the staff responsible for maintaining Climate.gov, effectively ending regular updates and public-facing educational content. While much of the underlying government data remains available on federal servers, former Climate.gov staff say it has become significantly more difficult for the public to locate and use.

Climate.us seeks to bridge that gap.

According to the nonprofit, the new platform restores the core services previously offered through Climate.gov, including climate explainers, maps, reports, educational resources and access to major scientific assessments. Organizers describe the project as politically independent and committed to making trustworthy climate information freely available regardless of changes in government priorities.

Rebecca Lindsey, who previously managed Climate.gov and now serves as managing director of Climate.us, said the effort began after NOAA’s climate communication team was dismantled in 2025. Along with other former NOAA employees, she spent months rebuilding the site’s extensive collection of public resources outside the federal government.

The initiative reflects a growing concern among scientists that valuable public information can become vulnerable when political priorities shift. Climate.gov had served not only researchers, but also teachers, emergency planners, farmers, journalists and members of the public looking for accessible explanations of climate science.

NPR reported that although government climate datasets remain online, many educational materials and navigation tools disappeared after staffing cuts, making the information far less accessible for non-specialists. Climate.us was designed to restore that usability while preserving the original mission of translating scientific research into practical public knowledge.

The nonprofit emphasizes that it is not replacing NOAA or producing original government research. Instead, it serves as an independent archive and educational resource that preserves existing scientific information and continues developing explanatory content for the public.

As debates continue over the role of federal agencies in climate communication, Climate.us represents a new model for preserving public access to scientific knowledge outside the government. Whether similar efforts emerge in other scientific fields may depend on how future policy decisions affect the nation’s research infrastructure.

Subscribe to Unknowncountry today. Keep the truth coming! Click here to learn more.