Following significant budget cuts to federal climate research agencies earlier this year, a network of climate experts created an initiative to preserve scientific work and redeploy displaced researchers. The effort began with informal conversations among jobless climate scientists and developed into a formal organization after a workshop in Colorado last July brought together more than 30 experts.
Climate Reserve operates by identifying critical climate research left unfunded and finding alternative institutional homes for both individual researchers and entire projects. The initiative has successfully placed more than two dozen experts known as fellows at organizations including nonprofits like the Environmental Protection Network and academic institutions such as the University of Minnesota. The group has also revived several federal projects, including EJScreen, an online mapping tool identifying American communities experiencing the highest pollution levels. Additionally, Climate Reserve supports international initiatives focused on measuring sea level rise in Panama and tracking greenhouse gas emissions across five African countries.
Leadership deliberately maintains operational secrecy regarding certain fellows and projects to shield them from potential interference by federal authorities. Many participants continue to depend on or seek federal funding, creating vulnerability to administrative action. The organization is now expanding public visibility to attract additional funding sources, as significant numbers of climate professionals remain unemployed.
The initiative emphasizes collaboration over competition, employing what founders call “movement generosity” to share resources and expertise across organizations rather than fragmenting the climate community further. Experts can split time between multiple organizations to coordinate research efforts and eliminate redundancy. This approach allows researchers to maintain specialized knowledge and institutional relationships developed over years of federal service, functioning as what supporters describe as a professional “parachute” during workforce disruptions.
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