NOAA's Climate.gov discontinued

By Mia MacGregor

June 24 - (The Insurer) - NOAA's Climate.gov, a platform delivering scientific data and insights on climate science, adaptation, and mitigation, has been discontinued.

The website served novice data users, including those in the insurance industry, natural resource management, and community planning.

As of June 24, users attempting to access Climate.gov are being redirected to NOAA.gov.

In a statement to The Insurer, NOAA explained, “In compliance with Executive Order 14303, Restoring Gold Standard Science, NOAA is relocating research products from Climate.gov to NOAA.gov/climate in an effort to centralize and consolidate resources.”

The agency further noted, “Future research products previously housed under Climate.gov will be available at NOAA.gov and its affiliate websites.”

The May 23 executive order aims to restore public trust in science by ensuring federally funded research is transparent, rigorous, and impactful, addressing concerns about scientific integrity and reproducibility.

Climate.gov recently faced extensive layoffs, as former program manager, lead writer, and editor Rebecca Lindsey told The Insurer.

Lindsey, terminated in February during a government-wide removal of probationary employees, stated that the layoffs left only two web developers remaining, with all content producers dismissed.

"The layoffs affected everybody. I was the only fed, the only civil servant fully dedicated to Climate.gov, and we had a team of full-time contractors. They were all let go," Lindsey said.

For over a decade, Climate.gov has cultivated an audience of over a million monthly visitors and a quarter million social media followers.

“We clarify what particular kinds of data and research mean, and for many people it may be the only real climate service they utilize. It helps put NOAA data in context," Lindsey added.