Why Germany Is Building an Ark for U.S. Climate Data
21 hours ago
- Political instability, cyberattacks, and war are driving global efforts to back up scientific data, which is increasingly seen as vulnerable when stored in one location.
- The German Research Foundation launched a $35 million program in late 2025 to store copies of U.S. climate data, including the 'CMIP7-ark' project for IPCC contributions.
- Many scientific datasets lack backups due to historical assumptions of safety and the high cost or complexity of transferring large data volumes.
- Political interference, such as the removal of NASA's SEDAC datasets by the U.S. Department of Government Efficiency, has threatened critical environmental data.
- International initiatives like AGU's Data Resilience Project and collaborations to digitize Ukrainian meteorological records aim to secure data against diverse risks.
- Experts advocate for global digital pipelines and protocols to ensure climate data remains accessible and resilient against future threats, including political shifts in any country.