Meeting the Moment: Sustaining Climate Science and Engagement in Shifting Policy Environments

Rapid shifts in U.S. climate policy have introduced uncertainty around the continuity of national assessments and participation in international scientific processes, raising concerns about maintaining the evidence-base for informed decision-making. This presentation examines how scientific societies, research institutions, and individual researchers are coordinating across disciplinary and national boundaries to safeguard the integrity and accessibility of climate science during periods of geopolitical and policy volatility. It will highlight collaborative strategies that reinforce resilience across the climate enterprise. These include a new cross-society journal access initiative led by AGU and the American Meteorological Society, designed to ensure uninterrupted global access to peer-reviewed climate . The presentation also explores coordinated nomination pathways and access agreements that enable U.S. -based scientists to continue contributing to international assessment processes, such as IPCC’s Seventh Assessment Report, despite shifting domestic policy priorities. Beyond these examples, the presentation situates these efforts within a broader framework of institutional coordination and transnational scientific networks. By leveraging partnerships across disciplinary and national boundaries, the research community is developing adaptive mechanisms to sustain engagement, preserve scientific continuity, and uphold the principles of open science. These practical models offer a roadmap for global research communities navigating similar disruptions, underscoring the critical role of scientific societies in bridging gaps between research, policy and international engagement.