The Trump administration’s actions have raised concerns about the loss of crucial environmental and climate information. Rachel Santarsiero, the director of the National Security Archive’s Climate Change Transparency Project, has been monitoring the flow of government information to the public. She expressed alarm at the erosion of environmental history under President Donald Trump’s second administration.
During Trump’s first term, terms like “climate change” and “clean energy” saw a significant decrease in usage on federal environmental websites. Some pages referencing climate change disappeared altogether, replaced by ambiguous phrases like “energy independence” and “resilience.” However, the current situation goes beyond just a change in terminology. Thousands of datasets have been removed from federal websites, making it challenging to access information on climate and the environment from agencies like the EPA, NOAA, NASA, and others.
The administration’s approach has raised questions about the integrity and future of vast amounts of information, both public and non-public. Placeholder websites for federal groups like the Council on Environmental Quality have disappeared, redirecting to the White House homepage. Agencies like USAID have been gutted, with only a fraction of their staff remaining. The fate of records from these agencies is uncertain, as there is no clear plan for their preservation or transfer to other agencies.
In February, the Trump administration ended thousands of foreign aid projects, including many climate- and clean energy-related contracts. This move has raised concerns about global instability and unnecessary deaths from malnutrition and disease. Finding information about these programs has become extremely difficult, with error messages returned for searches related to USAID climate programs.
Santarsiero has expressed frustration at the lack of updates and responses to FOIA requests regarding USAID records. The lack of transparency and communication from the State Department regarding these records raises concerns about the preservation of valuable information from past administrations. The future of government information under the Trump administration remains uncertain, with watchdogs and activists worried about the loss of critical environmental and climate data. The disappearance of climate and environmental data under the Trump administration has raised concerns among scientists, researchers, and advocates. Librarians and archivists have been working diligently to download, save, and make available as much of this information as possible. However, the sheer volume of data at risk poses a significant challenge.
Gretchen Gehrke, an environmental scientist and cofounder of the Environmental Data and Governance Initiative, highlighted that most of the missing data has been equity-related. For instance, the administration took down the Climate and Economic Justice Screening Tool, which provided valuable information on climate and economic vulnerabilities. This tool was essential for making funding decisions for the Justice40 initiative, focusing on economically disadvantaged communities.
Fortunately, groups like Public Environmental Data Partners had already downloaded the data before it was removed, allowing them to recreate and restore the tool online. However, other crucial datasets, such as the Scope 3 Federal Emissions Inventory and the Greenhouse Gas Reporting Program, have also been affected. The unavailability of these resources can hinder research and decision-making in the climate and environmental sectors.
Moreover, some pages, like the FEMA National Risk Index, have become inaccessible to users outside the United States, potentially disrupting international collaborations in scientific research. The removal of server certificates from certain pages has made it challenging to track which data has been removed or edited.
With the second Trump administration moving swiftly to remove or alter data, digital archivists like Lynda Kellam have noticed a significant increase in data disappearance compared to the first term. The urgency to preserve critical information has prompted organizations like the Data Rescue Project to accelerate their efforts to archive at-risk data before it’s too late.
However, archiving datasets involves more than just saving files; it requires preserving metadata, documentation, and provenance information. The complexity of this task demands human intervention to ensure the integrity and accessibility of archived data. The Data Rescue Project maintains a spreadsheet of at-risk data and trains volunteers to assist with archival work.
As the challenges of preserving vast amounts of data become apparent, prioritizing essential datasets becomes crucial. Gehrke emphasized the need for nominations from researchers and advocacy organizations to identify priority datasets for preservation. By sharing the workload and resources, these groups can collectively ensure the protection and availability of critical climate and environmental data for future research and decision-making. Environmental justice advocate expressed the need for more efficient use of resources by consolidating efforts in data collection. She emphasized the importance of focusing on collaboration and working together to achieve common goals rather than duplicating efforts in multiple areas.
Federal data collection is a crucial aspect of government operations, often mandated by Congress. However, the accessibility of this data to the public is not always guaranteed. The need for tools to access and interpret this data is essential for transparency and accountability. Efforts are being made to request the code and documentation of tools that were not built on open-source platforms to ensure public access to valuable information.
Archival work, such as the End of Term Web Archive, plays a vital role in preserving government websites and data for future reference. This effort is not politically driven but serves as a library and archives project to provide the public with tools to access and analyze information. The archived data can be used by researchers to track changes and find valuable information that may have been removed from federal websites.
Legal battles over data access are becoming more common, with organizations like Earthjustice suing government agencies to restore climate-related resources that have been removed from the web. Recent court orders have compelled agencies to restore essential websites and datasets for public health purposes, highlighting the importance of maintaining access to critical information.
The privatization of data and information poses a significant concern for experts, as it may lead to inequalities in data access. The potential halt of long-running research programs and the shift of data collection outside of government could have far-reaching consequences. Access to vital information from agencies like NOAA, CDC, and FDA is crucial for public safety and preparedness, emphasizing the need to protect government data resources.
In conclusion, the future of government data and information is uncertain, with experts expressing concerns about the impact of privatization and funding cuts on data access. Collaborative efforts, legal actions, and advocacy are essential to ensure the preservation and accessibility of valuable government data for the benefit of all citizens. The issue of government data collection for public good has been a topic of concern for many individuals like Gehrke, who feel that they are at the mercy of their government when it comes to accessing this important information. Without the government’s cooperation, it can be challenging for the public to obtain data that is crucial for making informed decisions and holding those in power accountable.
Gehrke and others are taking a proactive approach to this issue by focusing on what they can do to make a difference. By channeling their energy into forms of resistance and advocacy, they are working towards ensuring that the public has access to the data they need. Gehrke emphasizes the importance of resistance in any form, highlighting the need for individuals to take action in whatever capacity they can.
While the government plays a significant role in collecting and disseminating data for the public good, it is clear that individuals like Gehrke are not willing to sit idly by and wait for the government to act. By engaging in resistance and advocacy efforts, they are working towards creating a more transparent and accountable system for data collection and dissemination.
Ultimately, the message is clear: individuals must take a stand and fight for their right to access important data that can inform decision-making and hold those in power accountable. By working together and advocating for transparency and accountability, we can ensure that the public good is prioritized and that vital information is accessible to all.
