Nonprofit restores US climate.gov archive following government takedown
The new domain hosts the full Fifth National Climate Assessment and educational materials, operating as a nonprofit entity focused on long-term public service.
A nonprofit group has successfully relaunched climate.us, restoring the complete archive of the US government’s climate.gov website after it was removed by the Trump administration in June 2025. The initiative, led by volunteers and former climate.gov administrators, ensures that 15 years of climate news, datasets, and educational materials remain accessible to the public under the new domain.
The original takedown was executed via a redirection to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), citing Executive Order 14303 and a June 23, 2025 memorandum from the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy. The government stated that the content failed to meet "gold standard science" requirements, directing users to NOAA.gov for future research products.
Despite the official removal, the team behind climate.gov did not disband. Dedicated volunteers and former administrators preserved copies of the data, which is not subject to federal copyright, allowing them to legally republish the material. The newly established nonprofit announced on Tuesday that the restoration project is complete, featuring the Fifth National Climate Assessment, expert blogs, and visual status reports on key climate indicators.
The organisation behind the project has positioned itself as a provider of "long-term public service," moving beyond mere preservation. Plans are in place to develop new resources and additional materials to help explain the changing climate to the public, with the team including several key individuals who originally built the government site.
While the specific legal mechanisms or internal reviews that led to the determination that climate.gov content failed scientific criteria are not detailed, the restoration highlights the resilience of open data initiatives. The long-term sustainability and funding model of the new nonprofit entity remain unspecified, though the group has committed to maintaining and expanding the archive.
