Did Trump Dump Climate Change? White House Website Scrubbed Clean

The administration of President Donald Trump has eliminated what was a local weather change motion web page on the White Home web site.

Credit score: Screengrab, whitehouse.gov

Upon studying that President Donald Trump's new administration had eliminated the net web page on local weather change from the White Home's web site, local weather scientists had been dismayed, although not essentially shocked.

"It's too sadly predictable," Michael Mann, a distinguished professor of meteorology at Pennsylvania State College, advised Dwell Science. "Although I attempted to offer him the advantage of the doubt early on, Trump has now clearly telegraphed, together with his public feedback and his disastrous nominee[s] for key posts, his whole disdain for efforts to avert catastrophic local weather change."

When Trump took workplace at the moment (Jan. 20), the White Home's web site, whitehouse.gov, underwent a significant makeover, wherein the web page on local weather change motion that was arrange by Barack Obama's administration (archived right here) now reads, "The requested web page "/vitality/climate-change" couldn't be discovered." [The Year in Climate Change: 2016's Most Depressing Stories]

Maybe instead of this local weather change web page, the Trump administration has arrange a web page describing the "America First Vitality Plan." Within the plan, the White Home states "President Trump is dedicated to eliminating dangerous and pointless insurance policies such because the Local weather Motion Plan and the Waters of the U.S. rule."

The brand new coverage is "not likely stunning," given Trump's previous statements, however "it is disappointing," mentioned Kevin Trenberth, a distinguished senior scientist on the Nationwide Middle for Atmospheric Analysis in Boulder, Colorado.

"It appears to be all concerning the want for vitality and tapping all the accessible sources with none regard to the results of that on the setting or on the local weather," Trenberth advised Dwell Science. "And no regard both to essentially turning into extra vitality environment friendly."

He known as the coverage "shortsighted."

"It does not keep in mind the nonrenewable nature of those sources," Trenberth mentioned. "Simply to say that you just a have loads of them does not actually assist."

The coverage additionally states that the Trump Administration is "dedicated to wash coal know-how." However clear coal know-how — which captures regulated pollution launched from burning coal — does not but exist within the nation's electrical energy sector, consultants beforehand advised Dwell Science.

Furthermore, if such know-how had been developed, it will doubtless create a way of complacency towards local weather change, Pushker Kharecha, a local weather scientist on the Earth Institute at Columbia College, advised Dwell Science in October.

"In my view, the highest precedence of emission-reduction efforts ought to as an alternative be switching to nonfossil vitality sources (renewables and nuclear) by as a lot as attainable and as rapidly as attainable," Kharecha mentioned.

Different scientists, in addition to celebrities, additionally weighed in on the disappearance of the local weather change web page.

Meteorologist Eric Holthaus tweeted "It begins. The primary agenda merchandise up on the brand new @whitehouse web site is to 'eradicate ... the Local weather Motion Plan.'"

 

It begins. The primary agenda merchandise up on the brand new @whitehouse web site is to "eradicate ... the Local weather Motion Plan." pic.twitter.com/PMCG8l15bt

— Eric Holthaus (@EricHolthaus) January 20, 2017

 

Environmental author and activist Invoice McKibben tweeted, "Fast work--all reference to local weather change has been scrubbed from WH web site. Drawback solved identical to that!!!!!"

 

Fast work--all reference to local weather change has been scrubbed from WH web site. Drawback solved identical to that!!!!!

— Invoice McKibben (@billmckibben) January 20, 2017

 

Likewise, actor George Takei tweeted "The White Home eliminated its local weather change internet web page. And the healthcare, civil rights and LGBT sections. Simply thought you need to know."

 

The White Home eliminated its local weather change internet web page. And the healthcare, civil rights and LGBT sections. Simply thought you need to know.

— George Takei (@GeorgeTakei) January 20, 2017

 

Authentic article on Dwell Science.

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