Disappearing Data
In the early days of President Donald Trump’s second term,
a troubling trend has emerged, the removal of important climate
information from federal agency websites. This has alerted
advocacy groups, archivists, and universities to quickly work
to save vital climate resources and datasets. The loss of this
data threatens public access to information that is crucial
for environmental policy and climate action.
The Trump administration's actions mirror a similar pattern
from his first term. One organization documented these efforts,
noting the removal of webpages and tools linked to the
Obama-era Clean Power Plan. They are archiving datasets
and creating unofficial copies of tools that have been taken
offline, such as the Climate and Economic Justice Screening
Tool.
The Environmental Protection Agency has also seen major
changes, with climate change references removed from its
homepage and other key sections. This trend is evident across
various federal agencies, including the Department of Homeland
Security and the State Department, where climate related
content has been cut back or eliminated. These removals not
only hinder public understanding of climate issues but also
weaken the government’s commitment to tackling the climate
crisis, which has been a key focus for many agencies in
recent years.
As this data disappears, the work of archivists and
environmental organizations becomes even more important.
The Internet Archive's Wayback Machine is a crucial resource,
allowing researchers and the public to access previously
available data and documents that have been removed from
official sites. In conclusion, the ongoing removal of climate data
from government websites is a serious issue that needs
immediate attention.
Hey Jimmie,
ReplyDeleteI feel like you have a great post here in terms of topic. But I cannot really read any of it. Maybe you need to format it differently? I love your inclusion of the puzzle piece picture. It really shows that metaphorical nature of taking away websites and information. Without these resources people never really can figure out the whole picture.
Jimmy, I had the same problem reading the post. I tried editing and getting the text to "wrap" around the images. I am not sure why I couldn't do this. I did insert a whole bunch of line breaks so now it is at least readable. Maybe someone else can help with the tech.
ReplyDeleteRegarding the post - seems to me having the government hide information from the people is the exact opposite of what is supposed to happen in a democracy.
I think the formatting just needs to be cleared and then re-selected. I've had this problem a lot.
DeleteI never thought of archiving as an incredibly important job, until now. I always thought that archiving was mostly done by an author to simply have their work published and then the archiving was left up to the market.
ReplyDeleteWhile not explicitly connected to climate change, this is also happening with data concerning things like gender affirming care and STIs on the CDC websites. Limiting public access to information is the first step a fascist regime takes to sway public perceptions and we can't allow this garbage to continue.
ReplyDeleteExactly, all these cuts and scrubs to information and scientific data really feel like a modern-day book-burning event and it's scary, because you're exactly right, in that it's what other fascist regimes have done throughout history to information they don't like..
DeleteI've heard about this a lot. It's scary to think how people can remove vital information from public records just because they disagree with the facts. More and more websites are being taken down, and resources for environmental protection are disappearing. It's a scary and sad time we live in a world so full of hate and misinformation.
ReplyDeleteWow, this was really eye-opening. It’s scary to think that essential climate data is being removed from government websites. I agree that public access to this info is super crucial for climate action. It’s great that groups of archivists are saving it. Thank you for sharing this, Jimmie. It really shows how we need to protect not just the planet but also the truth.
ReplyDeleteIt makes me so frustrated! I have come across this twice now since January and I just cannot believe this is allowed. Not so much apart of the environmental side of things but they tried to remove information about a famous plane Enola Gay simply because the word "gay" even though that was the pilots mothers name! It just seems like such a disgrace to everyone here in the United States.
ReplyDeleteI have seen this all over social media, there is so much disappearing data. What was once previously public important information is now being hidden and changed within the government. I feel that type of control and change is very scary.
ReplyDeleteI think especially when talking about banned books, or lost data, we forget how important our archival history is. We should not work to erase, rather become more transparent over time. Even if we are ashamed of certain data that has come out, or data on climate change that the administration doesn't want us to see, seeing it will make us more equipped to fight back. In any way possible we should work to restore it.
ReplyDeleteI noticed and researched similar ideas for a previous blog of mine. Information being removed is scary and does not seem right. I remember reading about changes to the EPA and forest regulations.
ReplyDeleteRemoving climate data from federal websites is a huge setback, not just for researchers but for public awareness and policy development. Transparency and access should be a priority.
ReplyDeleteIt is crazy that we are the land of the free and they are archiving things and making things "unofficial". Environmental resources should be made accessible to anyone that wants to use it, even if it's not on the governments top list of priorities.
ReplyDeleteThis could lead to some important movements having to adapt to a new way of the powers that be can use a new (or old ) forms of censorship and deletion of information we all should be concerened about
ReplyDeleteI really hope that scientists took action in the time before this administration rolled in and took a sledgehammer to everything that didn't actively support its special interests. I hope they were able to back up their datasets onto external hard drives to be safeguarded and kept for the day where they don't have to worry as much about anti-science motives.
ReplyDeleteAnd it all makes me terribly sad, because between the CDC, NIH, and all those other admins being censored and everything, it really feels like a modern-day book-burning event.
This is so heartbreaking and terrifying seeing public information so blatantly destroyed.
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ReplyDeleteIt is terrifying to watch them trying to erase all of this data from being publicly available and I am incredibly grateful for things like the Internet Archives. Additionally, taking into account all of the federal job cuts, it makes me wonder how much harder it is going to be for us to get valuable information,
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