Attempts to Hush Climate Change
Over the past couple of weeks, I have followed Trump’s administration and their recent changes. There has been several, but I have particularly been interested in the decisions regarding climate change. Among these are the shutdown of the USAID, withdrawing from the Paris Agreement, and appointing new leadership who get to make further decisions on the environment. A new change to add to this list is the “Trump Effect”. This is an overarching term that describes President Trump’s attempts to breakdown the previously established climate protocols.
Websites Wiped of Climate Change Mentions
The most recent attempt at this “Trump Effect” was seen online where the mere mention of climate change has been pulled from several sites. Trump has been working on ridding federal websites of climate data because such ideals do not align with his plan and brand, so to speak. This brand of his has been known to deny climate facts and not prioritize the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions. The first websites impacted by this were the Forest Service and the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). First, the Forest Service is a site that details land management, wildfire relief, and jobs related to the US’ forests. We have learned from our readings that forests are a huge part of climate change because when they are protected, they are great carbon sinks but when engulfed in flames they are a force to be reckoned with. Forests deserve our respect so disabling an informational website like this is not beneficial. Secondly, the USDA details food, sustainability, and farming practices. I ask the same question, why isolate such an informational site?
Restoration of the Websites
When this first went through, these websites were inaccessible and simply said, “You are not authorized to access this page”. Now, access has been restored after a court ordered it just two days ago. Checks and balances of the government have been helpful through some of these radical changes Trump has tried. Still, the temporarily successfully attempt to just wipe an entire website containing information about sustainability and climate change is scary. Within weeks of a presidency, one can just manipulate the nation’s access to certain information.
Call to Action
It is surprising to see how much national things can be changed or shut down as the result of one administration. The courts have been reviewing so much of Trump’s choices, and many have been denied and restored, while some have stood and gone through. The citizens must keep an eye on the news and not let these drastic changes slip under their nose. Have trust in the courts to review these decisions, even if it takes a couple days or week to be realigned with the Constitution and what a president is truly allowed to change.
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