Fired Climate Scientists Launch New Public Weather Site

When Rebecca Lindsey lost her job as editor of Climate.gov after more than a decade, she faced a choice: retire early or fight to preserve work she considered essential.

She chose to fight. Lindsey and her former colleagues at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration launched Climate.us, an independent website dedicated to providing the same trusted climate information that 15 million people accessed annually on the government site.

The original Climate.gov was redirected to a different government page after widespread cuts to federal science agencies in early 2025. Lindsey and her team started rescuing information before it disappeared, determined to keep accurate weather and climate data accessible to everyone.

"Trusted climate information should not disappear when politics change," Lindsey said.

The new site offers news, expert analysis, data visualizations, and classroom resources about heat waves, storms, sea level rise and extreme weather events. Scientists volunteer their time to verify all content for accuracy, ensuring the same rigorous standards the government site maintained.

The Ripple Effect

The response has reached far beyond America's borders. Thousands of small donations from around the world are funding the project, surprising even the organizers.

"It's just so heartening to get this outreach from other countries," Lindsey said. She noted the international support felt particularly meaningful given the circumstances.

The project represents part of a larger effort to preserve scientific knowledge as federal science agencies lost nearly 118,000 employees between September 2024 and February 2026. About 10,000 of those workers held PhDs in science, technology, engineering, math or health fields.

The cuts affect real communities trying to monitor water quality, track disease-carrying insects expanding their range, and prepare for extreme weather. "That obviously has impacts on communities and their long-term health and well-being," said climate expert Lardy.

Lindsey worries most about young scientists questioning whether they can build stable careers in public service. "There is some science that only the government does," she explained, pointing to fisheries protection and nuclear industry regulation. "That isn't the kind of thing that the private sector would ever do."

But the overwhelming public response to Climate.us proves something important: people want access to unbiased, trustworthy information about the world around them. The site demonstrates that dedicated experts can find new ways to serve the public good, even when traditional paths close.

The work continues because, as Lindsey put it, it feels like a vocation rather than just a job.