Data under duress
Editorial
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41558-025-02323-z
Data under duress
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T
he Mauna Loa Observatory has
maintained the longest record of
atmospheric CO2, with measurements started more than six decades ago. The resultant Keeling
Curve showcases the steady increase in CO2
concentrations over time, and has become
a staple in climate change research and discourse. However, the collection of these and
other climate data is now under threat, with
some records already interrupted.
Tackling climate change on all levels
requires broad scale collaboration1. In addition to action on adaptation and mitigation,
which is driven largely on a political level, procuring the data needed to inform that action
also relies on international efforts2. Science
has long been an international effort, and
collaboration between scientists has often
transcended political boundaries, even in the
face of violent conflict3. However, work under
inhospitable political conditions faces enormous challenges, and recent political developments have further impeded scientific work
and collaboration globally.
Long-term data such as the Mauna Loa
record are critical to climate science. Longterm records are often needed to detect trends
over the noise created by shorter term variability and climate fluctuations such as the El
Niño–Southern Oscillation cycle. Long-term
data are also essential for validating and
informing models of the physical climate system, as well as climate change impacts. Owing
to the global nature of the climate system,
nature climate change
cooperation across borders is essential for
both the collection of and access to such data.
Unfortunately, similar to nationalist movements in the past decade4, recent political
developments have endangered data collection and access.
The war resulting from Russia’s invasion
of Ukraine, and the subsequent political tension, derailed collaboration between Russian
and other climate researchers. This has been
particularly deeply felt in the field of Arctic
science, where the loss of data from Russian
research stations has created a hole in coverage that limits understanding of current and
future Arctic change5, including detection of
carbon feedbacks6.
More recently, changes in national and
international US policy are causing waves of
disruption and long-term damage to both scientific and political climate efforts. In addition
to changes on the global political stage, such
as the withdrawal of the United States from the
Paris Agreement and cuts to aid programmes
that provided critical climate finance, government actions have also already deeply
impacted research and access to data.
Soon after the Trump administration took
office, climate data and analytical tools were
removed from many government websites,
including information related to environmental justice and climate data needed by farmers.
Following this were severe cuts to government
funding and agencies, including staffing at the
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the National Aeronautics
and Space Administration (NASA), which have
stopped larger projects around climate modelling and forecasting, with consequences
felt on the other side of the world. These cuts
have also impacted data collection and monitoring that inform climate-sensitive sectors
ranging from disaster preparedness to fisheries. Future cuts are also planned, including
those threatening the Mauna Loa observatory
and CO2 record.
The clear and immediate consequences that
the actions ostensibly taken by just two countries (Russia and the United States) have for climate researchers and stakeholders worldwide
demonstrate how fundamental international
efforts are to addressing the climate crisis.
In response, scientists and legal groups have
called for action, initiating legal processes to
ensure data access, for example, or calls for
open repositories to safeguard data7 critical
for climate research, action and adaptation.
The realities of climate change have clearly
illustrated how connected the world is, both
through the shared global nature of climate as
well as through phenomena such as teleconnections, which link processes and impacts
across large distances. All levels of society,
including scientists and politicians, must
harness the connection inherent in nature
to adapt to and mitigate climate change, and
ensure that the necessary data are there to
support decision-making.
Published online: 7 April 2025
References
1. Nat. Clim. Change 15, 227 (2025).
2. Durack, P., Lee, T., Vinogradova, N. & Stammer, D.
Nat. Clim. Change 6, 228–231 (2016).
3. Glausiusz, J. Nature https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586025-00692-1 (2025).
4. Jeffries, E. Nat. Clim. Change 7, 469–471 (2017).
5. López-Blanco, E. et al. Nat. Clim. Change 14, 152–155
(2024).
6. Schuur, E. A. G., Pallandt, M. & Göckede, M. Nat. Clim.
Change 14, 410–411 (2024).
7. Büntgen, U., Trnka, M., Hulme, M. & Esper, J. npj Clim.
Action 4, 9 (2025).
Volume 15 | April 2025 | 337 | 337
CREDIT: NASA'S SCIENTIFIC VISUALIZATION STUDIO / SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY
Climate change and climate action
are socially and politically divisive
topics in many countries. In addition
to contributing to political disparity,
climate research is also affected
by political context, with
consequences not only for scientists
but for society as well.
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