On April 28,???? ??????? ??????? ???????? the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) disabled the climate change section on its website, one of the federal government's largest online repositories of climate science and policy information. The website was taken offline ostensibly for edits to bring it in line with the Trump administration's new policies.
But it's been more than three months, and there is still no new EPA climate change website.
The old webpage, which is backed up online and was in existence for more than 20 years, explained the basics of what causes climate change and how it affects human health, among other key pieces of basic scientific information. The old section also contained numerous critical datasets and climate change indicators, from greenhouse gas emissions to Arctic sea ice loss.
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In contrast to what Trump and his EPA administrator, Scott Pruitt, have said about climate change (they don't believe it's mostly human-caused), the previous website repeatedly noted how humans have contributed to climate change.
SEE ALSO: EPA to actually hold 'red-team' climate debates, in a new level of 'head-in-the-sand bullshit'"Research indicates that natural causes do not explain most observed warming, especially warming since the mid-20th century. Rather, it is extremely likely that human activities have been the dominant cause of that warming," the previous webpage stated, according to the archived version.
Now, however, visitors to epa.gov/climate and epa.gov/climatechange are directed to this page:
Original image has been replaced. Credit: Mashable Given what Pruitt is doing to the EPA — slashing its budget, laying off staff, scrapping the Clean Power Plan to regulate greenhouse gas emissions, and eviscerating the agency's scientific advisory boards — one can only imagine what a new climate change section may eventually look like.
“As EPA renews its commitment to human health and clean air, land, and water, our website needs to reflect the views of the leadership of the agency,” said J.P. Freire, associate administrator for public Affairs. “We want to eliminate confusion by removing outdated language first and making room to discuss how we’re protecting the environment and human health by partnering with states and working within the law.”
Pruitt has already taken the position that human emissions of greenhouse gases are not the main cause of global warming, which is contrary to the findings of his agency's scientists, as well as experts around the world.
Might his views be reflected on the site, as part of bringing it into agreement with the administration's policies?
The EPA press office did not return a request for comment.