Scientists at McGill University stand firm, confronting potential scientific restrictions imposed by Trump's administration.
In the heated political climate under the Trump administration, academic researchers at McGill University in Montreal are on a mission to protect climate change data from potential censorship. Six months ago, they launched SUSANHub.com, a platform akin to LinkedIn for sustainable development, serving as a hub for researchers to collaborate and centralize climate research.
However, recent events have given the platform a new purpose. "The objective is to shield scientific data against threats from the U.S. government," explains Professor Juan Serpa from the Desautels Faculty of Management. The platform has seen an influx of users, with around 39,000 academics and researchers visiting it weekly. With U.S. federal agencies removing scientific data from government websites, these researchers are downloading and transferring the data to the platform.
The SUSANHub.com database contains crucial information on various topics related to climate change, such as forest fires, forest protection against insects and diseases, impacts on agriculture, flooding risks, plastic ocean pollution, and greenhouse gas emissions from industries. This data, if left unprotected, would be lost, making it essential for future research.
Professor Serpa stresses the importance of being proactive rather than reactive. "Once data disappears, there's no way to get it back," he says, adding that the thousands of saved data entries are accessible for free and categorized under 65 themes relating to sustainable development.
The platform also features a directory of 60,000 researchers and 25,000 research institutes, forming an international network, primarily focusing on American researchers. Deeply concerned about his U.S. colleagues, Professor Serpa condemned the Trump administration's actions, expressing empathy for researchers impacted by these policies.
Since Trump's second term, U.S. federal agencies have removed climate change information from over 200 government websites, while also firing thousands of employees from the U.S. Forest Service and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), an agency dedicated to studying climate change among other things.
The administration's stance on science has sparked unfavorable responses both domestically and internationally. For instance, former French President François Hollande submitted a bill in April to create a "scientific refugee" status to facilitate the welcoming of scientists fleeing the Trump administration's policies.
These troubling times have led to the rise of the "Stand Up for Science" movement in the U.S., where scientists are fighting against budget cuts, layoffs, grants cuts, and what many describe as censorship in their field.
- Researchers associated with McGill University in Montreal, who are currently working on climate change data protection, have expressed concerns about potential censorship under the Trump administration.
- Six months ago, these researchers launched SUSANHub.com, a platform resembling LinkedIn, aimed towards sustainable development and research collaboration.
- Recently, the platform has seen a surge in users as U.S. federal agencies remove scientific data from government websites.
- The SUSANHub.com database contains crucial information related to climate change, including forest fires, agricultural impacts, flooding risks, ocean pollution, and greenhouse gas emissions data.
- Professor Serpa, from the Desautels Faculty of Management, stresses the importance of being proactive in safeguarding this data, citing its significance for future research.
- In light of these events, the SUSANHub.com platform mainly consists of 60,000 U.S. researcher profiles and 25,000 research institutes, forming an international network in the field of environmental science and policy and legislation dealing with politics and general news.
