The Environmental Protection Agency has stopped doing science. Now, they do politics. This week, the Donald Trump administration announced that the Environmental Protection Agency’s findings will be reviewed by political staff before being published.
Science to fit a political agenda
Doug Erickson, head of communications for Trump’s Environmental Protection Agency transition team, said: ‘We’ll review the Environmental Protection Agency’s findings and ensure that the new voice coming from the EPA reflects the voice of the new administration'.
After an outpouring of criticism, Doug Erickson ‘clarified’ his statement, saying that he was only talking about information on the EPA website that is referring to climate change.
Erickson’s earlier statements indicate that changes are going to be further reaching.
Trump's actions have precedent
Such politicising of the EPA has precedent. In 2003, George W Bush’s administration attempted to alter a climate change report in order to increase levels of uncertainty around the subject. Two years later, news broke that the report had been edited. Scandal ensued.
However, Trump’s administration has shown a penchant for distorting reality. Trump’s team instructed the EPA and Department of Agriculture to stop using their social Media accounts a couple of days ago. In a small act of rebellion, the teams began tweeting facts about climate change which were later deleted by the new administration in a clear act of government suppression.
Trump’s history with climate change has been scattered. At various times in his election campaign, Trump claimed that climate change was a conspiracy perpetrated by the Chinese: at other times, Trump said that there was not enough conclusive evidence of climate change either way.
Trump’s assault on science is unique. Hitherto, Trump’s wars have been fought against the media and the arts.
Trump’s attack on scientific fact is a slippery slope and leads one to ask what next? In all likelihood, Trump is going to attempt to change human rights laws to reinstate torture as a means of investigation. The sacred buffalo are being slaughtered in the new wild west.
