The Trump administration’s decision to stop making key climate assessments easily accessible online is raising concerns about transparency and the public’s right to information.
The Trump administration has once again restricted access to crucial scientific reports detailing the country’s climate change risks by making it more challenging for the public to locate and access these assessments. Following the recent blackout of official government websites hosting the national climate assessments, NASA announced this week that it will not fulfill its earlier promise to host the reports on its platform, leaving climate data less accessible to the public.
These authoritative and peer-reviewed national climate assessments are vital for informing state and local governments, as well as the general public, about the impacts of a warming climate on their localities and offer guidelines on how to adapt. Although the White House had initially indicated that NASA would take over hosting duties in alignment with a 1990 law requiring these reports, that plan has now been retracted.
According to NASA Press Secretary Bethany Stevens, the space agency will no longer display the climate assessments or related data. Stevens stated in an email that NASA met its obligations by delivering the reports to Congress but has no further legal responsibility to host the information.
Earlier in July, NASA had assured the public that all previous reports would remain accessible through its website, thus maintaining continuity in reporting. However, this assurance has since been nullified.
Texas Tech climate scientist and past national climate assessment co-author, Katharine Hayhoe, emphasized the importance of these documents, stating, “This document was written for the American people, paid for by the taxpayers, and it contains vital information we need to keep ourselves safe in a changing climate.”
Despite the government’s decision, past reports remain available at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s library, and interactive versions of the latest report can still be accessed online.
The administration’s maneuver has been criticized as a deliberate attempt to hide essential climate data, with former Obama White House science adviser John Holdren calling it a classic example of misdirection. He accused the Trump administration of trying to suppress or bury critical scientific information regarding climate change.
Holdren highlighted the importance of these reports to government bodies and the general public, as they are crafted to help individuals understand the current and future impacts of climate change on their lives and environments. Holdren further accused the administration of taking away a valuable resource that helps citizens prepare for and mitigate climate-related challenges.
The 2023 climate assessment revealed significant adverse effects of climate change on the security, health, and livelihoods of people across the United States, with minority groups and Native American communities facing greater risks.
According to Associated Press, this step by the Trump administration to retract essential climate information poses a threat to public awareness and informed decision-making in addressing the ongoing and future consequences of climate change.
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