In a direct response to the Trump administration’s systematic dismantling of public climate science, a dedicated team of former government employees has launched Climate.us to rescue vital environmental data from political erasure. The new website, which went live in June 2026, represents a grassroots effort to fill the massive public-knowledge vacuum left behind when the federal government shut down Climate.gov. The original, highly trusted platform was summarily defunded and its entire staff laid off last year under the administration's controversial Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) cutbacks.

For years, Climate.gov served as a critical public utility, offering free, accessible, and high-quality climate intelligence to nearly 1 million visitors every month, according to 2021 metrics. The sudden elimination of the site represents a profound blow to farmers, educators, community organizers, and working-class families who rely on accurate climate information to protect their livelihoods. While the raw scientific data technically remains buried deep on government servers, it has been rendered virtually inaccessible to ordinary citizens who lack specialized training in database navigation.

The administrative shutdown of the flagship site was carried out in compliance with Executive Order 14303, a directive that effectively stripped the public of an open door to climate intelligence. Today, users who visit the old Climate.gov domain are met with a cold, bureaucratized message stating that research products are being scattered across NOAA's main website and obscure affiliates. When pressed for an explanation regarding this barrier to public access, NOAA Communications Director Kim Doster offered nothing more than a regurgitation of the official executive order text.

This political maneuvering prompted Rebecca Lindsey, the former program director of Climate.gov, to take action along with two of her laid-off colleagues in August 2025. Recognizing that climate data is far too important to be left at the mercy of hostile political administrations, Lindsey and her team set out to rebuild the platform in a protected, independent space. Lindsey described the administration’s bureaucratic restructuring as a deceptive renovation, stating that NOAA essentially "renovated a store, and they had the front door open into a closet," effectively hiding public data from public view.

Because the state abandoned its responsibility to fund climate communication, the creators of Climate.us had to rely on grassroots solidarity to get the project off the ground. The team successfully crowdsourced approximately $280,000 from everyday supporters to build the technical foundation of the new site. Furthermore, a one-time grant from an anonymous donor has thrown the project a lifeline, ensuring that the independent platform can remain operational until at least February 2027.