American Geophysical Union: Standing Up for Science: AGU’s Year of Action for Scientists and Society

In 2025, the U.S. government began to reduce support for the global
scientific enterprise — repudiating climate science, withdrawing from
international science bodies, dismissing federal scientists, and cutting
research grants, among many other actions.

In response, the American Geophysical Union (AGU), a global
community of over half a million Earth and space science
professionals and partners, mobilized a sustained, multi-front
response to protect and defend science institutions and the people
who sustain them. Rather than retreating, AGU leaned into its
role as a convener and advocate, coordinating legal, financial,
and communications resources across its membership and partner
organizations to meet the moment with urgency and resolve.

The result: federal lawsuits that kept scientists employed, a coalition
preserving U.S. climate expertise globally, emergency funding tools
and hardship relief for members in crisis, and a public information
campaign that reached millions worldwide and mobilized thousands
to act and advocate, engaging and educating elected officials at
every level of government — a testament to what a unified scientific
community can accomplish under pressure.