Scientists are fighting back against President Trump's efforts to dismantle climate change data, with many organizations resorting to crowdfunding and alternative funding sources to continue their research.
The Trump administration has taken a series of drastic measures to restrict access to climate data, including purging government websites of mentions of human-caused climate change, scrapping the National Climate Assessments, and slashing funding for environmental agencies. The move has left many scientists scrambling to find new ways to conduct their work.
Climate Central, a small nonprofit news group with only 50 employees, is one of several organizations that have found creative ways to continue its research. By partnering with philanthropic organizations and crowdfunding platforms, Climate Central has been able to restore operations for key projects like the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's (NOAA) Billion Dollar Climate and Weather Disaster dataset.
"We don't have a ton of extra bandwidth to take on new projects or try to build things that have taken years to build for the federal government," said Kristina Dahl, vice president for science at Climate Central. "But something like the billion dollar disasters data set is key data that many people rely on across different sectors."
The transfer of responsibility for climate research from the public sphere to the private sector has been a necessity in recent months. Nonprofit organizations, which often have more flexibility and fewer bureaucratic hurdles than government agencies, are better equipped to respond to the rapidly changing landscape of climate change.
However, this shift also raises concerns about the potential lack of independence and objectivity in scientific research. As one critic noted, "Nonprofits are not public utilities, they are not obligated to share all of their research to the wider population and might be pressured to focus on projects that address the specific risk management concerns of their donors."
Despite these challenges, many scientists remain committed to continuing their work, even if it means going against the wishes of an administration that is widely seen as hostile to climate change. "We should strive to build a science infrastructure or a scientific foundation for this country that is responsive to the needs of the U.S. population," said Janice Lachance, CEO of the American Geophysical Union.
The Trump administration has taken a series of drastic measures to restrict access to climate data, including purging government websites of mentions of human-caused climate change, scrapping the National Climate Assessments, and slashing funding for environmental agencies. The move has left many scientists scrambling to find new ways to conduct their work.
Climate Central, a small nonprofit news group with only 50 employees, is one of several organizations that have found creative ways to continue its research. By partnering with philanthropic organizations and crowdfunding platforms, Climate Central has been able to restore operations for key projects like the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's (NOAA) Billion Dollar Climate and Weather Disaster dataset.
"We don't have a ton of extra bandwidth to take on new projects or try to build things that have taken years to build for the federal government," said Kristina Dahl, vice president for science at Climate Central. "But something like the billion dollar disasters data set is key data that many people rely on across different sectors."
The transfer of responsibility for climate research from the public sphere to the private sector has been a necessity in recent months. Nonprofit organizations, which often have more flexibility and fewer bureaucratic hurdles than government agencies, are better equipped to respond to the rapidly changing landscape of climate change.
However, this shift also raises concerns about the potential lack of independence and objectivity in scientific research. As one critic noted, "Nonprofits are not public utilities, they are not obligated to share all of their research to the wider population and might be pressured to focus on projects that address the specific risk management concerns of their donors."
Despite these challenges, many scientists remain committed to continuing their work, even if it means going against the wishes of an administration that is widely seen as hostile to climate change. "We should strive to build a science infrastructure or a scientific foundation for this country that is responsive to the needs of the U.S. population," said Janice Lachance, CEO of the American Geophysical Union.
, scientists are literally fighting with their lives over climate data 
, and it's crazy how some orgs are finding workarounds by crowdfunding & partnering with philanthropic organizations 
, like Climate Central, which is still doing its thing with the NOAA Billion Dollar Climate dataset 
, but, for real, what's next? 
I feel so sorry for these scientists they're literally fighting with their lives here, working under huge pressure, & the government's just trying to stifle the info 
. Nonprofit orgs might be more flexible, but what about their integrity? Can we really trust them to stay objective when there's $$$ involved? 
It's crazy that nonprofits have to step up because the government won't do its job. At the same time, I get why scientists are hesitant to let private interests influence their research...it's like, shouldn't they be doing this for the greater good, not just some donors' profit margins? 
I'm so glad to see scientists fighting back against this administration's climate change agenda 
It's like they're saying "not on our watch" 
Climate Central is doing some amazing work by partnering with philanthropic orgs and crowdfunding platforms 
Like, what are we gonna do without NOAA's Billion Dollar Disasters dataset? 
It's not just about the data itself, but the research that comes out of it - so much good work is being done here 
They're like, filling the gap left by the gov't, but it's still not ideal. I mean, who gets to decide what data is 'key' and what's not? It sounds like they're just doing it for their donors instead of the greater good. We should be independent of private interests, you know? 
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! your work may not be getting the support it deserves from those in power, but trust me you're making a difference 
I'm so tired of politicians trying to screw with climate change research 
. Like, can't they just accept that humans are messing up the planet and work towards a solution instead of trying to cover it up? It's not like we haven't seen this before, from tobacco companies denying smoking causes cancer to fossil fuel companies downplaying global warming... it's just so frustrating 
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. Using crowdfunding and alternative funding sources is genius 
. And it's not like they're just trying to save themselves, either - many of them are risking their careers to keep climate change research going 
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. We can't let that happen. Scientists need to be able to speak truth to power and continue conducting research without fear of retribution or reprisal 
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and Janice Lachance's quote about building a science infrastructure is so true 
let's keep supporting these orgs and scientists as they keep pushing forward 
. It's like they're saying "we may not have the gov's resources, but we've got each other" 
. And let's be real, non-profits are the unsung heroes here - they're taking the hit so that climate research can continue 
but scientists r all about dat innovation & adaptability 
and yeah, there is concern about the lack of independence in research