Climate.gov Shutdown Forces Teachers to Scramble
NOAA’s climate.gov site was effectively pared back after the agency terminated roughly 10 staffers who maintained science communications and data visualizations, and a NOAA-funded educator portal (CLEAN) went into hibernation on Aug. 31, 2025 after defunding. The removals and reduced staffing have left K–12 science teachers across the United States scrambling to replace lesson materials, download datasets, and adapt curricula tied to the Next Generation Science Standards.
Education
Climate
🔍 Key Facts
- NOAA terminated about 10 science communication/data-visualization experts, after which climate.gov content was redirected and the full site no longer available (action began in June 2025).
- CLEAN (Climate Literacy and Energy Awareness Network), a University of Colorado Boulder project hosting 800+ lessons and videos, entered hibernation on Aug. 31, 2025 after NOAA defunded the program and staff were laid off.
- Teachers in multiple states (Illinois, Oregon and others) report reworking lesson plans, downloading datasets proactively, and using the closures to teach students about how politics can affect access to scientific information.
📍 Contextual Background
- The Trump administration announced the cancellation of nearly $8 billion in climate-related projects in 16 states: California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Vermont and Washington.