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🗞️ Driving the news: In response to funding cuts and administrative challenges under a potential second Trump term, over 400 climate and weather scientists are launching a 100-hour livestream to communicate the societal value of their research
• Beginning Wednesday, participants will offer 15-minute presentations to highlight how public weather and climate science protects lives and supports economic resilience
• The initiative, while officially nonpartisan, emerges as a direct reaction to federal budget reductions and institutional disruptions, including the closure of NASA's climate lab at Columbia University
🔭 The context: The Trump administration has significantly reduced funding for agencies central to environmental research, including NOAA, NASA, and the Department of Energy
• These actions have weakened the operational capacity of critical services like the National Weather Service, particularly concerning given the start of hurricane season
• The recent closure of NASA’s Goddard Institute for Space Studies underscores a broader trend of diminished federal support for climate science
🌍 Why it matters for the planet: Publicly funded climate and weather research underpins disaster preparedness, agricultural planning, and infrastructure resilience
• The proposed defunding threatens not only scientific advancement but also public safety and environmental policy formulation
• With climate risks intensifying globally, maintaining strong research capabilities is crucial to informed adaptation and mitigation efforts
⏭️ What's next: The livestream event seeks to raise public awareness and political pressure by directly engaging citizens with the benefits of taxpayer-funded science
• Organizers aim to build long-term support for robust research funding, particularly among early-career scientists
• The response from policymakers and public audiences in the coming weeks may signal whether this novel outreach strategy will help safeguard future climate science investments
💬 One quote: “We think that this livestream is basically an opportunity for scientists to show how these cuts to our research really damage our ability to do climate science and weather prediction.” — Marc Alessi, Union of Concerned Scientists
📈 One stat: NASA’s Goddard Institute for Space Studies, which has tracked global temperatures for over 40 years, lost its Columbia University lease in April 2024, forcing all staff to work remotely
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