The Climate Science Legal Defense Fund (CSLDF) is a not-for-profit organization established in 2011 to provide legal assistance to researchers and institutions engaged in climate science facing legal challenges from private entities such as think tanks and legal foundations.
In 2012, CSLDF formally affiliated with Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility, a nonprofit providing aid and advice to government whistleblowers and scientists working on environmental issues.
In addition to providing legal services to climate scientists and researchers threatened with legal action, CSLDF provides litigation support and files amicus briefs in related cases.
CSLDF also promotes awareness among scientists of their legal rights and responsibilities and provides information regarding legal actions taken against scientists.
CSLDF claims that many legal actions against climate scientists intend to secure their silence for purely political reasons or to stifle their research. According to CSLDF, litigation has intensified against climate scientists in recent years, and salaries earned by academicians and researchers are often inadequate to pay for litigation defending against "corporate-funded law firms and institutes.”
CSLDF is funded entirely through private donations. In 2014, CSLDF received $55,000 in donations.
One of the organizers of CSLDF is Scott A. Mandia, a physical sciences professor at Suffolk County Community College.