RealClimate
RealClimate is a non-commercial climate science commentary blog founded in 2004, operated by working climate scientists. It publishes expert analysis, original model-observation graphics, and educational climate resources for the general public and journalists worldwide, free of charge.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2004
- HeadquartersNew York, United States
- Headcount—
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingDigital Commerce or Content
What RealClimate does
RealClimate is a climate science commentary blog founded on December 10, 2004, in New York, and operated by a collective of working climate scientists. The site publishes expert analysis of climate research, debunks climate misinformation, and supplies original model-observation comparisons, surface temperature graphics, and educational resources organized by knowledge level (beginners through informed). Contributors include scientists affiliated with the Norwegian Meteorological Institute, NASA GISS, and other research institutions, and several contributors have IPCC authorship and academic publication records. The site was welcomed by Nature upon launch and has accumulated 1,409 posts and 251,877 reader comments as of July 2026, with a regular cadence that includes monthly "Unforced Variations" open discussion threads.
The platform is built on WordPress, with no proprietary commercial technology, no public or partner-facing API, no SDK, no mobile app, and no MCP integration. Content is freely accessible worldwide via realclimate.org, supported by Google Translate for multilingual delivery and distributed organically through social media channels (Bluesky, Facebook, Tumblr, Mastodon, Reddit, Threads) and a free email notification service. There is no paywall, no registration requirement, and no advertising.
The business model is a volunteer scholarly endeavor with no commercial revenue, no disclosed pricing, no funding rounds, no parent company, and no institutional equity investment. The legal name is RealClimate, the entity is private with no public ticker, and the company type is recorded as for-profit only in the formal classification sense — no commercial activity is operated. Distribution is direct-to-audience only, with no enterprise, SMB, or paid customer tier. The site serves a global audience of the interested public, journalists, educators, and researchers seeking authoritative climate science perspective.
RealClimate firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- RealClimate
- Legal name
- RealClimate
- Website
- https://realclimate.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2004
- Operating status
- Operating
- Short description
- RealClimate is a non-commercial climate science commentary blog founded in 2004, operated by working climate scientists. It publishes expert analysis, original model-observation graphics, and educational climate resources for the general public and journalists worldwide, free of charge.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
RealClimate industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Science Communication
- NAICS
- Scientific Research and Development Services (5417)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Open Interactive Learning Objects & Simulations (EDAGAJAE)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Climate Change Mitigation & Adaptation (BPAGAGAF), Climate Risk & Scenario Analysis (TCFD/IFRS S2) (EUAHAJAD)
Keywords
Where RealClimate is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- New York
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Markets served
RealClimate business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Digital Commerce or Content
- Cost components
- Infrastructure, Personnel
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels4 records
RealClimate product offering
Product offeringCore offering
RealClimate is a free, publicly accessible climate science commentary blog (realclimate.org) founded in December 2004 and operated by working climate scientists. It publishes expert-authored analysis of climate research, model-observation comparisons (CMIP3/CMIP5/CMIP6), original climate graphics debunking misinformation, monthly open discussion threads, and indexed educational resources organized by knowledge level for the interested public, journalists, and educators.
Product overview
RealClimate is a single-site climate science commentary blog maintained by working climate scientists. The site provides climate science analysis, commentary on current research, and educational resources organized into content sections including model-observation comparisons, miscellaneous climate graphics, surface temperature graphics, and beginner resources. The site features 1,409 posts with 251,877 comments as of 2026.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- RealClimate Website A free climate science commentary blog (realclimate.org) written by working climate scientists for the interested public and journalists, providing expert analysis, original graphics, model-observation comparisons, and educational resources on climate science.
- Model-Observation Comparisons A repository of climate model output comparisons to observations across variables including surface temperature projections from 1981, 1988, CMIP3, CMIP5, and CMIP6, and satellite products, available freely for reference and reuse with attribution.
- Miscellaneous Climate Graphics A collection of climate graphics providing context or debunking specific points of confusion, including carbon dioxide importance, temperature correlations, and stratospheric cooling.
- Surface Temperature Graphics A repository of graphs related to surface and near-surface temperature records, including comparisons of global temperature products and ENSO impacts.
- Start Here (Climate Resources) Educational resources organized by knowledge level (beginners, intermediate, informed) with links to IPCC reports, scientific resources, and debunkings of common contrarian arguments.
Companies that use RealClimate
Customer profileSegments1 record
Ideal customer profiles2 records
RealClimate technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
RealClimate partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators3 records
Recent moves4 records
Expansion highlights2 records
RealClimate competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Carbon Brief: UK-based climate science and policy news site that publishes in-depth explainers, data-driven analysis, and scientist interviews. Comparable to RealClimate in producing authoritative climate-science content for a general-but-informed audience, though Carbon Brief employs professional journalists and operates as a staffed newsroom.
- Climate Central: Climate science communications nonprofit producing original graphics, data visualizations, and reporting on climate impacts. Comparable in producing scientist-grounded analysis and original climate graphics for journalists and the public, though operates at significantly greater scale with institutional funding.
- Climate Feedback: A nonprofit that uses working climate scientists to fact-check climate coverage in major media. Directly comparable in operating model (working-scientist-authored verification of climate claims) and target audience (journalists, public), and a closer structural peer than most generalist climate outlets.
- Yale Climate Connections: Yale School of the Environment-affiliated climate communication platform producing articles, videos, and radio content aimed at the general public. Comparable in mission (climate science communication to non-specialists) and scale, with stronger institutional backing and a multi-format approach that RealClimate lacks.
- Skeptical Science: Climate science communication site that publishes rebuttals to common contrarian arguments, with peer-reviewed-paper-level sourcing. Directly comparable to RealClimate in mission (countering climate misinformation) and audience (informed public, journalists, educators), but operates with a more structured argument-database format.
Broad incumbents
- Inside Climate News: Pulitzer-winning nonprofit climate journalism outlet covering climate science, energy, and policy. Comparable in targeting an informed general audience interested in climate science, but functions as a professional newsroom rather than a scientist-authored commentary site.
- The Conversation: Large-scale academic-authored commentary platform covering all disciplines including climate science. Comparable in using credentialed academics as authors, but is much broader in topic scope and operates as a commercial-scale newsroom with republication partnerships across major outlets.
- Climate.gov: U.S. federal government portal publishing climate science data, educational resources, and expert explanations. Comparable in providing authoritative, scientist-grounded content for the public and educators, with much greater institutional resources but constrained by political administration changes.
Others
- DeSmog: Investigative journalism outlet focused on climate disinformation and the networks behind it. Comparable in operating at the intersection of climate science and misinformation, and a useful thematic peer though its primary output is investigative reporting rather than scientist-authored commentary.
- IPCC: Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, the authoritative international scientific assessment body whose authors include RealClimate contributors. Comparable in subject-matter authority on climate science and in being a primary source RealClimate cites and contextualizes, but is an intergovernmental body rather than a commentary platform.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat3 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
RealClimate social profiles
Digital presenceRealClimate financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
RealClimate leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
RealClimate funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
RealClimate M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about RealClimate
What does RealClimate do?
RealClimate is a free, publicly accessible climate science commentary blog (realclimate.org) founded in December 2004 and operated by working climate scientists. It publishes expert-authored analysis of climate research, model-observation comparisons (CMIP3/CMIP5/CMIP6), original climate graphics debunking misinformation, monthly open discussion threads, and indexed educational resources organized by knowledge level for the interested public, journalists, and educators.
Is RealClimate a public or private company?
RealClimate is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was RealClimate founded?
RealClimate was founded in 2004.
Where is RealClimate based?
RealClimate is headquartered in New York, United States, in the North America region.
Who are RealClimate's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Carbon Brief, Climate Central, Climate Feedback, Yale Climate Connections and Skeptical Science. Broad incumbents are Inside Climate News, The Conversation and Climate.gov. Others are DeSmog and IPCC.
Does RealClimate have an API?
No public API is recorded for RealClimate.
What industry is RealClimate in?
RealClimate's product category is Science Communication. Its primary akta.pro industry code is EDAGAJAE, Open Interactive Learning Objects & Simulations, with a secondary code of BPAGAGAF, Climate Change Mitigation & Adaptation. Its NAICS code is 5417.