Scientists Race Against Time to Save Decades of Climate and Health Research

Across the United States and around the world, a wave of deletions is threatening to erase decades of vital scientific data from government websites—covering everything from climate change and extreme weather patterns to public health and environmental justice. In response, scientists and civic organizations are urgently working to download and archive this information before it disappears forever.

The deletions, driven by the current US administration, have been ongoing for months. Data that once was publicly accessible is now being systematically taken down, with little warning. Researchers like Cathy Richards, a data and inclusion specialist at the Open Environmental Data Project (OEDP), find themselves on constant alert. “You get a message at 11 o’clock at night saying, ‘This is going down tomorrow,’” she explains. “You try to enjoy your day, then everything changes. You spend the night downloading data.”

Richards, based in Hudson, New York, is part of a network of hundreds—possibly thousands—of individuals collectively racing to preserve critical datasets. Many keep a close watch on their phones, ready to spring into action at a moment’s notice. The urgency is palpable; these datasets represent years, sometimes decades, of research that scientists consider their “babies.”

The effort is a response to a broader concern about the erosion of scientific transparency and data accessibility under the current administration. Richards’s organization, a founding member of the Public Environmental Data Project (PEDP), was established in 2024 specifically to protect environmental data from being lost amid the wave of deletions.

Recently, Richards and her colleagues have successfully archived extensive datasets covering US flood hazards, greenhouse gas emissions, energy production, and environmental justice issues. Researchers have also reconstructed tools that forecast future climate risks across the country. These efforts are crucial, as losing this data would hinder policy decisions, scientific progress, and public awareness on pressing environmental issues.

As the deletions continue, the scientific community remains in a race against time—striving to preserve the knowledge that informs climate resilience and public health, before it’s erased from the digital landscape forever.