University of Toronto Wants to "Save" Climate Data from Trump

Main building of the University of Toronto, 1906
Main building of the University of Toronto, 1906. See page for author [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons
Guest essay by Eric Worrall

The University of Toronto is hosting a data archiving event on 17th December, to try to “save” climate data they believe will be deleted by the new Donald Trump administration.

Guerrilla Archiving Event: Saving Environmental Data from Trump

There is a Call to Action underway coming out of the Technoscience Research Unit at the University of Toronto, and happening at the Faculty of Information.

Two professors are calling on citizens to figure out if they “Care about Trump, data, or the environment?” Volunteersare invited to join in a full day of hackathon activities in preparation for the Trump presidency.

This event collaborates with the Internet Archive’s End of Term 2016 project, which seeks to archive the federal online pages and data that are in danger of disappearing during the Trump administration. This event is focused on preserving information and data from the Environmental Protection Agency, which has programs and data at high risk of being removed from online public access or even deleted. This includes climate change, water, air, toxics programs. This project is urgent because the Trump transition team has identified the EPA and other environmental programs as priorities for the chopping block.

SVP and up-to-date information: https://www.facebook.com/events/1828129627464671/ (link is external)

Bring: laptops, power bars, and snacks. Coffee and Pizza provided.

https://technoscienceunit.wordpress.com/2016/12/04/guerrilla-archiving-e… (link is external)

Submitted by Kathleen O’Brien on Mon, 2016-12-12 17:35

Date:

Saturday, December 17, 2016 –

10:00 to 16:00

Location:

Bissell Building, 4th Floor, 140 St. George St. University of Toronto

Read more: https://ischool.utoronto.ca/content/guerrilla-archiving-event-saving-environmental-data-trump

Can anyone recall any climate skeptic, anywhere, ever demanding the deletion of climate data?

Much of the battle between skeptics and climate organisations has been about compelling reluctant climate researchers to release data which they wanted to hide. Skeptics have consistently demanded more access to data, not less.

For example, consider Climategate email 1106338806.txt from Professor Phil Jones, former head of the prestigious UK based Climatic Research Unit.

From: Phil Jones

To: Tom Wigley

Subject: Re: FOIA

Date: Fri Jan 21 15:20:06 2005

Cc: Ben Santer

Tom,

I’ll look at what you’ve said over the weekend re CCSP.

I don’t know the other panel members. I’ve not heard any

more about it since agreeing a week ago.

As for FOIA Sarah isn’t technically employed by UEA and she

will likely be paid by Manchester Metropolitan University.

I wouldn’t worry about the code. If FOIA does ever get

used by anyone, there is also IPR to consider as well.

Data is covered by all the agreements we sign with people,

so I will be hiding behind them. I’ll be passing any

requests onto the person at UEA who has been given a post to

deal with them.

Cheers

Phil

Plenty more where that email came from – lots of discussions in the Climategate archive of legal tricks to avoid Freedom of Information requests, use of UN mandates to avoid national law based FOIA requests, requests to delete emails and files, and what appear to be deliberate attempts to conceal and perhaps even to delete important material.

In January 2010, the UK information office found that the CRU had breached freedom of information laws, but that the statute of limitations on the offence had run out – it was too late to prosecute those responsible.

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December 14, 2016 11:14 pm

Maybe the rumor was put out by a clever skeptic for the very purpose of having many people download the data before the Alarmists deleted it. If so, the ruse has fooled their simple minds, and worked 😅

Sean
December 15, 2016 11:29 am

Which data to the plan to save?
The original temperature data set as actually measured by instruments?
Or the fraudulently altered and faked data as manufactured by their climate junk scientists?

Joel Snider
Reply to  Sean
December 15, 2016 12:10 pm

My guess is that the ‘data’ isn’t at issue, so much as the e-mails where they talk about how they will spin it to match the alarmist scenario.

The Expulsive
December 15, 2016 3:03 pm

As a despised engineering graduate from this place…I am not surprised by their ideas

Ian L. McQueen
December 18, 2016 3:24 pm

Our CBC radio news has been pushing the U of T story right up to Saturday evening (16th). Since we heard it on the CBC it must be true. (sarc off)
Ian M

Johann Wundersamer
December 20, 2016 2:29 am

“Saving Environmental Data from Trump
There is a Call to Action underway coming out of the Technoscience Research Unit at the University of Toronto, and happening at the Faculty of Information.” –
better
paid by taxpayers to save from taxpayers.