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From The Guardian - Climate Change
Summary
The Trump administration recently ordered the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) to remove websites that document or reference the climate crisis. This directive resulted in many important resources, including research and adaptation tools related to climate change, being taken offline and replaced with error messages. The move is part of a broader strategy by the Trump administration to reshape federal policies, including the repeal of environmental protections and withdrawal from international agreements such as the Paris climate accord. The administration’s actions have raised concerns about the accessibility and preservation of crucial information and tools designed to help communities address climate-related challenges.
Highlights
- 🌍 Censorship of Climate Information: The USDA was ordered to shutter websites referencing the climate crisis.
- ⚠️ Error Messages: Key USDA resources turned into error pages, denying access to critical information.
- 📉 Environmental Policy Reversal: The order is part of a broader rollback of environmental protections initiated by the Trump administration.
- 🔍 Lack of Clarity: Uncertainty surrounds the future of the blocked websites and the important data they contained.
- 🔄 Federal Workforce Chaos: The administration’s actions included a hiring freeze and buyout offers for federal workers, leading to confusion within agencies.
- 📊 Impact on Communities: The removal of these resources affects diverse communities, including farmers and firefighters, who rely on them for support in navigating climate change.
- 🚫 Ongoing Controversy: There is significant public and political debate surrounding the Trump administration’s approach to climate policy and information dissemination.
On Thursday, the Trump administration ordered the US agriculture department to remove its websites documenting or referencing the climate crisis.
By Friday, the landing pages on the United States Forest Service website for key resources, research and adaptation tools – including those that provide vital context and vulnerability assessments for wildfires – had gone dark, leaving behind an error message or just a single line: “You are not authorized to access this page.”
In a directive issued by the United States Department of Agriculture’s office of communications, officials instructed website managers across the agency to “identify and archive or unpublish any landing pages focused on climate change”, according to Politico. It also included a Friday deadline to list the mentions in a spreadsheet for further review.
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Read the full post at The Guardian - Climate Change.
