Eric Nost, a geography professor at the University of Guelph, is actively working with the Environmental Data Governance Initiative (EDGI) to save important climate and environmental data. In just a few months, they have preserved at least 60 data sets that the current U.S. government attempted to remove.
This isn’t Nost’s first time dealing with data preservation. During the 2016 Trump administration, experts found many changes to climate-related information but didn’t see significant deletions. This time, however, the effort to erase data has been quicker and broader, affecting basic demographic, public health, and climate data.
According to Nost, the archived data includes vital indicators like sea level rise estimates, wildfire risk predictions, and pollution statistics. These data sets help us understand climate change and its impact on different communities. Nost emphasizes that this administration has particularly targeted data that connects climate information with social implications.
Nost warns that the removal of climate data is a global issue. Canada, for instance, relies on U.S. data from organizations like NASA and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to inform its own climate policies. The loss of this information could affect how we understand and address climate issues in other countries.
Moreover, this data removal can influence technologies like generative AI tools, which depend on available information. Nost is concerned that this will narrow public understanding of climate change and environmental challenges.
He believes decreased funding for data and scientific initiatives will create gaps in our knowledge. “If data collection stops, we lose important yearly records,” he said. This situation has been frustrating for Nost, who would rather focus on analyzing existing data and suggesting improvements. “It’s disheartening to have to step in to keep this data infrastructure alive,” he added.
If anyone wants to help, Nost mentions that volunteers are welcome to assist in downloading and uploading data to online repositories. But he emphasizes that staying informed is crucial. He encourages people to be critical of the information they encounter, especially from authoritative sources. Tools like the Wayback Machine can help track changes and missing data.
In summary, the fight to secure vital environmental data continues, and community awareness and involvement remain key in protecting our understanding of climate issues.
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United States government|climate change data|environmental data|data deletion|Canadian data
