Eight years ago, when the Trump administration was about to begin, mathematician John Baez took action to preserve public climate data from federal websites. He, along with a group of friends, downloaded large amounts of data to store them safely away. This was in response to Trump’s denial of climate science and his nomination of climate skeptics for cabinet positions. Baez was concerned that important information, like satellite data on global temperatures and ocean measurements of sea-level rise, could be at risk of being destroyed.
Their effort, known as the Azimuth Climate Data Backup Project, managed to archive at least 30 terabytes of federal climate data by the end of 2017. While the first Trump administration made changes to federal web pages containing climate information, the core federal databases remained mostly intact throughout his first term.
As Trump prepares to take office again, scientists are concerned that federal datasets could be in even greater danger this time around. They are gearing up to start archiving efforts once more, anticipating more strategic actions from the administration.
Various projects, such as the Data Refuge project at the University of Pennsylvania and the volunteer-led Climate Mirror, were initiated by scientists across the country during Trump’s first term to preserve federal climate data. Even international efforts were made to safeguard this crucial information.
Now, with lessons learned from the previous administration, organizations like the Environmental Data and Governance Initiative (EDGI) are preparing for the potential challenges ahead. They are reaching out to other groups for advice on prioritizing data and ensuring access to archived datasets if they are removed from federal websites.
The preservation of federal climate data is crucial for global climate research, as these datasets provide valuable information to scientists worldwide. Agencies like NASA, NOAA, the Department of Energy, and others collect and maintain data on various climate variables, which are essential for understanding climate change.
Concerns about the future of federal data have been heightened by Project 2025, a conservative policy blueprint that outlines significant changes to federal science agencies. The plan suggests dismantling NOAA and reshaping the U.S. Global Change Research Program, raising fears about the fate of federal climate data under the new administration.
While efforts are underway to protect these datasets, the potential for censorship and data removal remains a concern. Organizations like EDGI are readying themselves for the challenges ahead, while individuals like John Baez hope that a new generation of activists will continue the important work of preserving federal climate data for the future.
