Scientists Launch 100-Hour Livestream to Protest Federal Climate Research Cuts

David Rind began his livestream presentation on the history of climate research at NASA’s Goddard Institute for Space Studies from its New York City office with a cautionary note.

“If you hear any background noise, it’s because the building is literally being dismantled while we are still here,” he explained.

Following a decision to end the lease, researchers were instructed to leave the office and switch to remote work, a move stemming from substantial federal budget cuts implemented in recent months.

Dr. Rind’s talk marked the opening of a planned, uninterrupted 100-hour livestream hosted by climate scientists and meteorologists nationwide. The event aims to protest the reductions in funding for weather and climate science and highlight the risks these cuts pose to accurate weather forecasting. The livestream commenced on Wednesday and is set to continue through June 1, coinciding with the start of the Atlantic hurricane season.

Since January, significant budget cuts have affected climate and weather research, including the dismissal of hundreds of scientists at key federal agencies, the termination of greenhouse gas emissions monitoring, and the sidelining of contributors to the nation’s leading climate report.

“Reliable weather forecasts and climate projections have long been something the public could depend on,” said Margaret Duffy, a climate scientist and organizer of the livestream. “These funding reductions directly undermine the research that supports those forecasts.”