U.S. government climate website axes staff, may shut down

Climate.gov may soon shut down, putting the end to an important U.S. government climate and weather resource used by countless people every year. The Guardian reports that the website's entire content production team was let go at the end of May, becoming some of the latest workers impacted by the Trump administration's widespread layoffs of federal employees.

Run by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Climate.gov publishes scientific data on the Earth's climate, including maps, educational material, and articles aimed at informing the general public. According to the website, Climate.gov's mission is to "provide science and information for a climate-smart nation." 

Sadly, this flow of climate information is likely to soon become a trickle at most, with Climate.gov's editorial team of 10 having reportedly all been dismissed by May 31. 

The cuts began shortly after President Donald Trump's inauguration in February, with three of Climate.gov's editorial team members dismissed in the Department of Government Efficiency's (DOGE) mass purge of probationary employees. The remaining seven were subsequently axed in recent weeks, though all 10 remain on Climate.gov's now outdated list of staff at time of writing.

"[The current U.S. administration] think that climate change isn't real, and they don't want anybody talking about it," Climate.gov's former program manager Rebecca Lindsey told NPR. Lindsay was one of the three workers who were dismissed in February.

Trump has actively hindered efforts to combat climate change for years, withdrawing the U.S. from the Paris Climate Agreement and scrapping the Clean Power Plan during his first term as president in 2017. This week, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) confirmed reports that it is working to abolish all restrictions on greenhouse gas emissions from U.S. power plants that use fossil fuels. The EPA further revealed that it intends to weaken regulations which limit power plants' emissions of toxic air pollutants such as mercury.

The NOAA is one of the many government agencies struggling under extensive staffing cuts implemented by Elon Musk's DOGE this year. Approximately 1,000 former NOAA workers have reportedly been axed since Trump took office, making up 10 percent of the NOAA's workforce. This includes over 150 critical roles which have been left empty as of May.

NPR reports that Climate.gov will cease publishing new content on July 1, though it remains unclear what will happen to the content currently available. The website could be completely shuttered, left to rot, or even reappropriated to host less scientific articles that are more in line with Trump's views on climate change. Whatever happens, it seems clear that climate education and action are not high priorities for the Trump administration.