# Scientists rebuild climate research after Trump shutdown

> A new collaborative effort replaces the US climate assessment the Trump administration terminated.
- Title: Scientists rebuild climate research after Trump shutdown
- Summary: A new collaborative effort replaces the US climate assessment the Trump administration terminated. When the federal government stopped funding climate…
- Keywords: trump administration, climate research, us global change research program, american geophysical union, american meteorological society, climate assessment, federal funding cuts, peer-reviewed research, climate policy, climate adaptation, technology, science
- Source: Ars Technica — https://arstechnica.com/science/2026/09/effort-begins-to-fill-the-void-left-by-terminated-us-climate-report
- Published: 2026-09-22T16:26:30+00:00
- Read time: 1 min
- Topics: trump administration, climate research, us global change research program, american geophysical union, american meteorological society, climate assessment, federal funding cuts, peer-reviewed research, climate policy, climate adaptation, technology, science
## Trump administration kills climate report
The Trump administration eliminated funding for the US Global Change Research Program and removed hundreds of contributing authors from the next National Climate Assessment, even taking past reports offline.
## Scientists launch replacement effort
The American Geophysical Union and American Meteorological Society created the US Climate Collection, a centralized resource where researchers publish peer-reviewed papers instead of coordinating one giant report.
## First roadmap paper published
A paper by 175 authors, many from the terminated assessment, was published in two journals to outline priority research areas for future climate work.
## Assessment reports serve science and policy
These reports summarize thousands of scientific papers for non-scientists and policymakers, helping cities plan flood infrastructure and farmers understand climate trends versus weather variability.
## Machine learning and new modeling techniques
Climate science has advanced with machine-learning-based simulations and finer-resolution modeling that the new effort must now document.
## Tracking rapid policy and energy shifts
The roadmap identifies major changes including chaotic US climate policy, expanding renewable energy, and how AI data centers are reshaping electricity demand expectations.
## Regional focus connects science to reality
The effort can zoom in on specific regions like Alaska to show how permafrost thaw releases mercury into water, making climate impacts concrete and relatable.
## Decentralized approach enables broader scope
Unlike federally coordinated assessments, this distributed effort can cross borders to analyze how trade links US climate impacts to other countries.

> I see this roadmap as seeding and accelerating a distributed synthesis effort rather than launching a centrally managed research program.
## Key takeaway

When the federal government stopped funding climate research, scientists created a decentralized alternative that could be more flexible and reach beyond US borders.