Donald Trump Wants to Delete 'Climate' from Federal Websites: Here's How You Can Track the Changes
The Trump administration has been systematically removing climate-related information from federal government websites, taking down pages that address issues of environmental justice and equity. This effort is part of a broader campaign by the Trump administration to purge "woke" content from public discourse.
A Tool Emerges to Track Changes
Researchers have developed an online database called the Federal Environmental Web Tracker to document these changes. The tracker includes over 200 entries for federal webpages that have been altered, and will be updated weekly by the nonprofit group behind it, the Environmental Data and Governance Initiative (EDGI).
The tracker is essentially a big spreadsheet that links to webpages that are either down completely or have had significant changes made since Trump stepped back into office. By early February, FEMA was already deleting the term "climate" from its website. As of this morning, the Federal Environmental Web Tracker includes more than 200 entries for federal webpages that have been altered.
The Impact of the Changes
The changes made to federal websites are not always subtle. Some pages have been completely removed, while others have had their content significantly altered. For example, an EPA webpage that shared data on pollution from power plants was renamed "Power Sector Data" instead of its original title, "Power Sector Emissions Data."
However, some changes are more nuanced. The alteration of the EPA webpage's title may help keep the information online by making it less noticeable to those who might otherwise be deterred by the term "climate change." But advocates argue that this effort is part of a broader attempt to erase climate-related issues from public discourse.
The Effort to Preserve Climate-Related Information
Advocates are taking action to try to bring resources back online. Organic farmers filed suit against the Trump administration last week for removing content they rely on to help them grow crops, alleging that the US Department of Agriculture's sudden removal of key online resources broke federal law.
A similar lawsuit filed by doctors led to some federal webpages on health disparities being restored. The Federal Environmental Web Tracker can be used in conjunction with the Internet Archive's Wayback Machine to see old versions of websites and track changes over time.
Documenting the transformation taking place now is crucial for policymakers and advocates who want to make that information publicly available again. By tracking these changes, researchers and activists can better understand the scope and impact of this effort, and work to preserve climate-related information for future generations.