Professor Eric Nost from the University of Guelph has been on a mission to save important climate data. Working with the Environmental Data Governance Initiative (EDGI), he has helped preserve about 60 data sets essential for tracking environmental changes in the U.S. These efforts come in response to a significant removal of data by the current government.
Back in 2016, when Donald Trump was first elected, there were some changes to how climate data was presented, but not much data was deleted. This time, however, the situation seems different. Nost explains that experts are noticing a quicker and broader effort to take down even basic demographic and health data, along with environmental information.
Nost emphasizes the importance of the data they are archiving. “We’re focusing on basic indicators that show how our climate is changing,” he says. This includes crucial data on sea level rise, wildfire risks, and pollution. Much of this information helps us understand who is most affected by environmental changes—data that has been a target for removal.
The implications of losing this data go beyond just statistics. Nost points out that climate change is a global issue. Information from U.S. agencies like NASA is used worldwide, including in Canada. If this data is lost, it could limit how we understand climate issues globally. Furthermore, the removal of such data could affect the information available for AI tools, like ChatGPT, narrowing perspectives on climate-related discussions.
Another concern is the potential for gaps in long-term data collection. Nost warns that a lack of funding for these initiatives now could mean missing years of vital information. “If funding stops this year, we lose that data,” he explains. This absence could hinder our ability to understand trends over time.
For Nost, the ongoing removal of data is frustrating. He believes that maintaining this data infrastructure should be the responsibility of the government, not individuals like him. “This information is publicly funded, and it’s the government’s job to keep it accessible,” he states.
For those who want to help, Nost suggests that volunteers are needed to download and upload these important data sets to secure repositories. More importantly, he encourages everyone to stay informed and question the information they come across. Using online tools, like the Wayback Machine, to check for missing data can make a difference in understanding the full picture of climate issues.
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United States government|climate change data|environmental data|data deletion|Canadian data