In 2018, the U.S. government implemented travel restrictions that prevented federal scientists from attending scientific conferences, significantly impacting their participation in key events and collaboration opportunities. In 2019, the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP25) was initially scheduled in Brazil, then moved to Chile, and ultimately relocated to Spain due to political unrest. That same year, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) canceled a scientific conference due to a partial government shutdown. In 2020, the UK Student Climate Network was forced to cancel their conference due (ironically) to severe weather that made the roads impassable. And, in 2021, the Insurance Accounting and Systems Association (IASA) had to quickly transition to a fully virtual meeting as Hurricane Ida hit New Orleans.
