Special Reports

CGN Special Report: Former NOAA Staffers Rebuild Climate Data Site Outside Government

Climate.us, a nonprofit site led by former Climate.gov team members, is restoring public climate information after the federal site’s operations were cut back.

By Sophie Keller · June 26, 2026
Email Reporter
CGN Special Report: Former NOAA Staffers Rebuild Climate Data Site Outside Government
CGN News / Cook Global News Network / CGN Special Report / All Rights Reserved

WASHINGTON | Former members of the federal Climate.gov team have launched Climate.us, an independent nonprofit site designed to keep climate data, explainers and education materials available to the public after the government site’s operations were curtailed.

The project matters because Climate.gov had served as a public-facing gateway for federal climate information, including climate science explainers, maps, education materials and links to federal data. The new site says it is rebuilding that public-service function outside government, with former staffers and climate communicators restoring material and organizing access for readers, educators and local planners.

What is confirmed

Climate.us describes itself as a nonprofit successor to Climate.gov and says it is preserving climate news, teaching resources, data tools and access to major climate materials. Axios and NPR reported that former NOAA staffers are behind the effort, while NOAA continues to maintain separate official climate and data resources through its federal platforms.

Why it matters

Climate information is used by local governments, educators, farmers, insurers, emergency planners and families trying to understand heat, flooding, drought, wildfire and coastal risk. When public information systems change quickly, readers need to know which resources are official government data, which are independent educational sites and which sources are preserving archived material.

What remains unclear

Climate.us is not a federal website. Its long-term reach will depend on funding, staffing, data access and whether agencies continue publishing underlying climate records. Readers should distinguish between official NOAA datasets and independent public explanations built from those materials.

What to watch next

Watch whether Climate.us expands its restored archive, whether NOAA changes public climate communication resources, and whether state and local agencies begin pointing residents to the nonprofit site for education or planning support.

Additional Reporting By: NPR; Climate.us; NOAA; Axios

What This Means

This story matters because public climate information is part of how communities prepare for heat, floods, drought, fire and infrastructure stress.

The next step is to watch whether Climate.us becomes a durable public resource and how federal climate communication tools continue to change.

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