Advocates warn that Donald Trump’s potential return to office could threaten access to critical environmental and public health data. Under Trump’s previous administration, significant climate change information was removed from federal websites, raising concerns about continued data collection and analysis. Budget cuts and staffing changes led by Trump allies, Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy, could disrupt essential tools like the EPA’s EJScreen, which helps assess environmental justice issues.
The Trump administration’s agenda may undermine data accuracy, particularly regarding race and socio-economic indicators, affecting marginalized communities. Although previous efforts by the Environmental Data and Governance Initiative (EDGI) successfully archived vast amounts of data after the 2016 election, there is fear of more extensive data deletion this time. EDGI has partnered with projects to preserve federal digital content systematically, as ongoing data maintenance is vital for informed policy-making and effective environmental programs. The stability of these data resources is crucial for assessing climate change impacts and ensuring public access to vital information.
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