The United States’ climate science community faced a dramatic upheaval after President Donald Trump began his second term, with his administration cutting billions of dollars in research funding and firing thousands of federal employees across agencies including the Environmental Protection Agency and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. For climate scientists and officials who suddenly found themselves without jobs or funding, the changes came as a major shock. But amid the uncertainty, a group of former government officials and climate experts began working on an unusual solution: creating a new network to keep climate research alive outside the federal government.People were “in shock,” said Aparna Shrivastava, a former senior climate official in the Biden administration. As she spoke privately with dozens of climate experts who had lost their jobs or funding, many were still determined to continue studying a rapidly warming planet and finding ways to address its consequences. Yet the sudden cuts had left them with few options.The question they kept returning to was simple: “What could we possibly do to address this?” Shrivastava said.(This story was originally published by Grist.)
More than 30 experts come together to find a solution
The conversations eventually moved beyond private chats. At a workshop convened by the Aspen Global Change Institute in Colorado last July, more than 30 climate experts began discussing ways to support colleagues who had been laid off and prevent important research from disappearing.That effort eventually became the Climate Reserve, an initiative backed by tens of millions of dollars and led by Shrivastava. The organization is now making its work public as it seeks to expand its network and provide new opportunities for climate experts affected by the federal cuts.Climate Reserve operates as a network designed to identify climate research and other critical work that has been left in limbo and find institutions where it can continue without federal support.Sometimes, that means helping a climate researcher move into a position at an environmental nonprofit or university. In other cases, it means finding a new home for projects that were removed from government budgets.
Climate Reserve has already funded more than two dozen positions
Climate Reserve created new roles for climate experts affected by Trump administration funding cuts. (Photo: AdobeStock)
So far, Climate Reserve has funded more than two dozen positions for climate experts, known as fellows. They are now working at organizations across the country, including the Environmental Protection Network and the University of Minnesota.The group has also helped revive projects that were affected by federal funding cuts. One example is EJScreen, an online mapping tool that identifies communities across the United States experiencing some of the worst pollution. The now-independent tool is being kept up to date with support from the network.The Climate Reserve’s work extends beyond the US as well. Its projects include mapping sea-level rise on islands in Panama and measuring greenhouse gas emissions across five African countries.However, not all of its work is being made public. Organizers have maintained some secrecy around certain fellows and projects, partly out of concern that people who still rely on federal funding or hope to apply for it in the future could find themselves in the crosshairs of the Trump administration.
‘So many people are still out of work’
As the initiative has grown, its organizers have become more willing to publicly discuss their efforts in the hope of attracting additional funding.The scale of the job losses remains apparent in unexpected places. Shrivastava recalled that even a Lyft driver who took her to the airport in Washington, D.C., while she was traveling to meet potential funders turned out to be a laid-off climate and energy expert.The Climate Reserve name itself reflects the group’s emergency-response philosophy. Brittany Janis, executive director of the nonprofit Open Environmental Data Project and one of the participants in the initiative’s early discussions, said the name was meant to evoke both a nature reserve and the Army Reserve.It is “the emergency group that you can call up to bring people together,” Janis said.Her organization has partnered with Climate Reserve to hire a former senior adviser for environmental justice programs in the Biden administration to maintain the independent EJScreen tool.
Former federal workers get a ‘parachute’
For Climate Reserve, the goal is not simply to provide jobs. Organizers also want to prevent the loss of specialized knowledge built up by scientists and government officials over years of public service.Janis described the positions as a kind of “parachute” that allows former federal workers to land in organizations where their experience can continue to be used.“How can we be really thoughtful about parachuting people to the right places so we aren’t losing all that institutional knowledge and that really critical basis for climate action in the U.S.?” she said.The group is also trying to encourage collaboration rather than competition among climate organizations that are now operating with fewer resources.Ben Poulter, who leads an emissions-monitoring program at climate solutions nonprofit Spark, said the founders recognized early on that the funding cuts could further divide the climate research community.“We realized early on that the changes that were happening could fragment the community even further as resources became scarcer,” Poulter said. “The whole point of Climate Reserve is that we’re all in the same boat and we need to work together.”
Climate experts share resources instead of competing
Several of the group’s founders have described this approach as “movement generosity” – a philosophy centered on sharing expertise and resources to advance the broader goals of climate research.Under the model, one expert funded by Climate Reserve could potentially divide their time between two organizations, allowing the groups to coordinate projects and avoid unnecessary duplication.Poulter, who previously coordinated greenhouse gas monitoring efforts between federal agencies, is now working on research into how climate-sensitive ecosystems such as wetlands could release increasing amounts of planet-warming emissions as temperatures rise.One Climate Reserve fellow at Spark will help coordinate measurements across five African countries, while another will work on translating the findings into policy recommendations, Poulter said.
Saving the ‘unsexy’ work behind climate science
Some of the work being supported by Climate Reserve is far removed from the headlines but remains essential to climate research.Sonia Wang, who leads the Center for Climate and Environmental Data at the Data Foundation, said the organization is helping preserve important data-crunching projects that can determine whether scientists and policymakers can trust climate information.For example, two groups using satellites to detect methane emissions could reach different conclusions if they rely on different wind-speed models.Resolving such discrepancies may not attract much attention, but it is critical to producing reliable climate data.“It’s not the flashiest thing, but when you look under the hood, this is really what’s necessary,” Wang said.The Data Foundation has taken on four Climate Reserve-funded experts to work on projects aimed at improving the reliability and consistency of climate data.
Climate Reserve aims to place 50 experts in new roles
The initiative is now expanding quickly. By the end of the month, Climate Reserve expects to have placed 50 climate experts in new positions, Shrivastava said. The group also plans to triple its funding by the end of next year.Its organizers say the long-term goal is not to permanently replace federal climate research. Instead, they hope to create a more resilient network that can continue supporting scientists and projects during political shifts.“If federal support for climate research eventually returns,” the network could help make the field more collaborative and resilient in the future, according to the initiative’s organizers.“We are not at all looking to replace the government. We’re just stepping up to try and meet some of the needs here,” Shrivastava said.
‘The need is only going to get stronger’
For climate and health experts who spent years working inside the federal government, the transition has meant finding new ways to continue public service.John Balbus, a Climate Reserve fellow, spent 15 years in the federal government. Most recently, he served as a senior official at the Department of Health and Human Services, where he coordinated efforts addressing the health effects of climate change, including extreme heat and wildfire smoke.He is now continuing that work through the Federation of American Scientists and as an independent consultant.Balbus said climate change may remain politically divisive in the United States, but its consequences affect everyone. The climate and health experts he previously worked with, he said, would “do anything in their human power” to continue a life of public service even without government jobs.And as climate risks continue to grow, the demand for their expertise is unlikely to disappear.“The need is only going to get stronger every year,” Balbus said.
