Health and climate information disappearing from federal websites

The Trump administration has initiated a data purge affecting health and climate information on federal websites, with significant resources already removed. Key tools like the CDC's Social Vulnerability Index and Environmental Justice Index have been taken offline, raising concerns among researchers and public health advocates. This move follows Trump's executive order aimed at dismantling Biden-era policies related to climate change, racial equity, and gender identity. During his previous term, a substantial reduction in references to "climate change" was noted across federal agency websites. The Department of Transportation has also removed content related to climate and equity, aligning with internal directives to eliminate Biden-era initiatives. While researchers have been archiving government data in anticipation of such changes, the utility of archived datasets may diminish over time without updates. The Environmental Data and Governance Initiative has been active in documenting these changes and preserving critical datasets. However, the long-term implications of this data removal on public health and environmental justice remain uncertain.

- The Trump administration is removing health and climate data from federal websites.

- Key tools like the CDC's Social Vulnerability Index have already been taken offline.

- The data purge aligns with Trump's efforts to reverse Biden-era policies on climate and equity.

- Researchers have been archiving government data to mitigate the impact of these removals.

- The long-term utility of archived datasets may be compromised without regular updates.