Donations spotlight: Help CSLDF defend climate scientists

Note from the CREDO Mobile team: This August, the Climate Science Legal Defense Fund is among three amazing nonprofits that will receive a share of our monthly grant. Funding from the CREDO Mobile community will support CSLDF in its work to ensure that scientists can conduct, publish and discuss their research and advocate for science without the threat of political harassment, censorship or legal intimidation.

 Read this important message from CSLDF, then visit CREDO Donations and cast your vote to help send vital grant money to the group to assist its efforts—and the efforts of our other outstanding August grantees.

In 2011, a group of pro-science advocates took a stand against an alarming surge in attacks on climate scientists by the forces of climate change denial. The group raised funds to help cover the cost of an ideologically motivated lawsuit against a noted climate scientist—a case that, after three long years of litigation, was ultimately decided in the scientist’s favor.

Recognizing that the threat from the growing anti-science movement in the U.S. wouldn’t end with that one court case, pro-science advocates formed the Climate Science Legal Defense Fund. We’re now in our 15th year and we continue to protect and defend the scientific endeavor through free legal aid, education and tracking of anti-science actions by the government.

Climate science is facing a greater threat than ever. Attacks are now coming not only from the fossil fuel industry but from the highest levels of the federal government, jeopardizing decades of research and threatening future progress. These attacks include:

• Drastic, mostly indiscriminate cuts to the federal scientific workforce.
• Termination of billions of dollars in research grants.
• Appointment of climate skeptics and fossil fuel executives to high-level positions.
• Censorship of scientists and their research.
• Misrepresentation of scientific findings to further a political agenda.
• Intimidation of potential whistleblowers into remaining silent.

That’s where the Climate Science Legal Defense Fund comes in. At CSLDF, our mission is simple. We want scientists to be able to focus on finding solutions to climate change without fear of political harassment, censorship or legal intimidation.

We put our legal expertise to work on behalf of the many researchers who are now being drawn into what are usually baseless, expensive and lengthy legal battles brought by anti-science bad actors. We helped a record-breaking 64 scientists in 2024—much of our help rendered after the reelection of a virulently anti-science president.

We’ve also educated thousands of scientists about their legal rights and protections through workshops, presentations and our extensive library of free resources. Our educational initiatives cover a range of legal topics, including how scientists can safely advocate for science, safeguard themselves from legal harassment and intimidation, participate in climate litigation and more.

Since 2017, we’ve documented hundreds of government attacks on science in the Silencing Science Tracker, which we run together with the Sabin Center for Climate Change Law. This database, originally created to document the numerous attempts by the first Trump administration to silence climate change research, has since been expanded to include state as well as federal government actions.

CSLDF is ready for the fight. Already this year, we’ve provided free legal help to dozens of researchers, many of whom have been caught up in the chaos and destruction of the current political reality. We’ve received requests for assistance regarding invasive open records inquiries, censorship and advice on how to engage in pro-science advocacy—issues we have helped scientists deal with since our founding.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, we’re seeing an increase in the number of scientists who have lost their jobs or grant funding and are seeking guidance for themselves and for the crucial research that’s at risk.

Some of our current cases include:

• Helping defend an academic who participated in a climate protest from aggressive retaliation by their institution.
• Fighting to preserve access to critical climate data held by federal agencies.
• Defending researchers on the frontline of holding fossil fuel companies to account for their role in climate change.

We’re not backing down and we’re not alone. Thanks to our pro-science supporters, we’ve been able to meet the increased workload. We recently added five new team members to help handle the increase, including a full-time staff attorney, a project attorney, a summer intern and two new board members.

We’re up against strong anti-science forces with very deep pockets but our small yet mighty team is equal to the task. The generosity of CREDO Mobile members will help us continue fighting on behalf of climate scientists at a time when our work is more needed than ever. Thank you for standing with us to protect and defend the scientific endeavor.

Learn more about our organization, including how to contact us for free legal help, at CSLDF.org.