Safeguarding Science for the Public Good

Nearly 75 years ago, Resources for the Future (RFF) was founded on a simple but powerful belief: better decisions depend on sound, independent research.

That mission feels especially urgent today.

Earlier this year, The New York Times reported on the dismantling of the Environmental Protection Agency’s independent research office, which for decades conducted scientific work on air pollution, drinking water, climate risks, public health, and other issues affecting millions of Americans. The article described how many scientists and policy experts were laid off, reassigned, or pushed into retirement, leaving behind a profound loss of institutional knowledge.

One of those scientists was Dr. Bryan Hubbell, a former director of the air, climate, and energy national research program at the EPA. At the time, he was leading EPA’s research efforts to help states and communities address the effects of air quality and climate change on public health and the environment. Facing the elimination of his program and the closure of EPA’s Office of Research and Development, Bryan took early retirement after 27 years of government service.

But at RFF, we know that expertise like Bryan’s is a public good worth preserving. We were excited to hire him, and he’s now at RFF conducting essential research on air quality, public health, and climate-related risks.

Other researchers formerly with the federal government have also joined RFF in recent months, bringing deep expertise and helping us carry forward important work once housed within federal agencies, including greenhouse gas inventories, climate risk analysis, and other foundational datasets that underpin decisionmaking across the public and private sectors.

Knowledge like this takes years, even decades, to build. And when it disappears, so does the capacity to understand problems, evaluate solutions, and protect communities from environmental and economic risks. But, thanks to your generosity, we’re able to do our part to help preserve expertise and continue essential research and data collection.

As we celebrate our Founders’ Day and 75 years of impact, will you donate to support independent research and preserve the knowledge needed to build a more resilient future?