Climate Researchers resort to "Guerrilla Archiving" to Safeguard Key Data from Trump

Trump himself, along with the media, have done a great job of getting people all worried about what the next 4-8 years could mean for a number of important issues, including of course climate change. Personally I'm trying to remain objective about this possibility, and simply making a thread based on what researchers and organizations are doing in response to the shift in politics we are seeing take place in America. Here are the facts:

A UC Davis (University of California) researcher Nick Santos has been backing up government climate data to a non-government server in anticipation of Trump's upcoming presidency.

We've also got the University of Toronto sponsoring what they termed a 'Guerrilla Archiving Event' for their End of Term 2016 project. This event entailed the archiving of federal data that can currently be found online, in hopes of preserving this information in case Trump's administration plans to censor or remove the information once he is inaugurated.

Researchers at University of Pennsylvania are also partnering with groups like Open Data Philly
and the software company Azavea in an attempt to preserve and 'harvest' crucial climate data.

Climate Science Legal Defense Fund is also offering consultation services for researchers who feel threatened or intimidated because of their work involving climate data. The group has even been reportedly distributing pamphlets with the title "Handling Political Harassment and Legal Intimidation: A Pocket Guide for Scientists" (see this related article from the New Yorker that discusses this pamphlet here).

An atmospheric professor Andrew Dessler believes a 'digital book-burning' would cause such a rapid and impactful response that if it is their goal to silence climate change promoters, they would be much more likely to enact policies that would prohibit future collection of the data instead. Here, Dessler weighs in on the subject (a quote from the primary source):

I think it’s much more likely they’d try to end the collection of data, which would minimize its value. Having continuous data is crucial for understanding long-term trends. Trends are what climate change is about — understanding these long-term changes. Think about how much better off the people who don’t want to do anything about climate change would be if all the long-term temperature trends didn’t exist.

Link

a reply to: FamCore

Good for them because I too am afraid of a pathological liar who believes China created Global Warming because reasons.

So basically they're afraid the gravy train is going to end?

originally posted by: ketsuko
So basically they're afraid the gravy train is going to end?

Exactly.

They should pay to maintain their own bullcrap and stop sticking it to the taxpayers. I am tired of funding these fools and their 'research'.

a reply to: Metallicus

What fascinating hatred toward scientific research, given that you are posting on the internet; itself the result of scientific research in a slightly different field.

Because locking data up is the way to progress science.

If they really wanted it to be safe they would distribute it far and wide.

But then if they did that, people would be able dissect the 'data' and see what a sham it is.

future generations will thank them.

originally posted by: Teikiatsu
Because locking data up is the way to progress science.

If they really wanted it to be safe they would distribute it far and wide.

But then if they did that, people would be able dissect the 'data' and see what a sham it is.

Anyone can see that the reason they are fearful is that the data would be lost due to funding cuts.

Gotta put some nefarious spin on those you disagree with, huh?

Based on the first few comments I can tell that our ATS community is very divided on the climate change issue.. this is worth having thoughtful discussions and putting our minds together for a good cause

Whether I agree with you or not, I'm appreciative of the comments so far. This is what it's all about. Let's keep it respectful, keep digging, and of course "deny ignorance"

I have no problems with the clima change research as long as my tax dollars Is not going to fund it, with anything that have a global attach to it, we the US tax payers are the ones that are shedding the most of it.

Cut any tax dollars funding, that all I ask, let the clima change researchers get their funds by private donations.

They are backing up their bank accounts too.

They will be needing it.

And what if the Russians hack it and change the data?

originally posted by: Swills
a reply to: FamCore

Good for them because I too am afraid of a pathological liar who believes China created Global Warming because reasons.

Trump is a lot things. Has an ego, is an intellectual genius, probably too competitive. But a pathological liar? Seriously? Trump is the most honest man in DC. That's why we put him there.

originally posted by: marg6043
I have no problems with the clima change research as long as my tax dollars Is not going to fund it, with anything that have a global attach to it, we the US tax payers are the ones that are shedding the most of it.

Cut any tax dollars funding, that all I ask, let the clima change researchers get their funds by private donations.

Your signature begs to differ:

Global Warming. It is the hoax. It is bad science. It is a high jacking of public policy. It is no joke. It is the greatest scam in history.

Seems like you have a big problem with it. Sad that you're completely misled, but it is quite funny in this context.

a reply to: Greven

Then sadly you don't understand the meaning of my signature and not I have not problem with research, but I do with my tax dollars going to the pockets of buyout scientist, to justify changes on public policies so more tax dollars goes into the pockets of the profiteers, here and abroad, they are the biggest scammers in history and their theories are flawed.

a reply to: Greven

The devil is in the details my friend, "Global Warming" is not the same thing as 'Climate Change'.

a reply to: FamCore

Shouldn't this be happening anyway???

I mean backing up our current data and knowledge in various ways and places and platforms and access levels should always be happening regardless.

Why wouldn't we be doing that in the first place???

a reply to: FamCore

Point #1 - this is a publicity stunt on the part of climate researchers. The data that they are supposedly copying desperately and putting on private servers is available and had been put on many, many private servers. But if they want to copy it again, please feel free to do so. Digital copying costs almost nothing.

Point #2 - this desperate copying of data, would it perhaps include original raw data without adjustments. People interested in the raw unadjusted data have been asking for the raw data without adjustment for years.

Point #3 - Would this desperate copying of data include, perhaps, the reasons and explanations of why each adjustment on each station was made. Also data that interested people have been asking for years.

I know that not to long ago the satellite data was adjusted upward by 0.3 degrees but no explanation was given.

Point #4 - Trump is not a fool. Weather data is always valuable property. I am confident that data gathering will be continued. What these scientists were afraid of is that unbiased scientists will be hired to gather the data and adjust it as necessary (as well as explain the adjustments.) They are terrified that the current raw data will be publically available so that any adjustments can be examined and questioned if necessary.

Climategate is proof that raw data disappears all the time. They were not afraid to legally fustrate FOI attempts to get the raw data. In the end, like Hilary's 10s of thousands of "personal emails", it was discovered to have been "lost". How long is the public going to accept excuses like this.

Flipping to green energy is costing the world billions of dollars and pushing people into energy poverty. The public paid for the raw data and deserves to have it.

These "scientists" who are so afraid are the same people who denied to the public.

Tired of Control Freaks

originally posted by: mOjOm
Shouldn't this be happening anyway???

I mean backing up our current data and knowledge in various ways and places and platforms and access levels should always be happening regardless.

Why wouldn't we be doing that in the first place???

You make a great point. And I would bet it has been backed up and is in so many places it would be extremely difficult to "scrub" from the view of the public, but I guess by putting a fancy name on a 'Legal Defense Fund' and 'Guerrilla Archiving' events it causes more of a knee-jerk reaction from the public.. exactly what the media wants

(oops, I said I wouldn't go there. Oh well)

Yep
Hide the truth. Sounds logical.NOT(or is it hiding the evidence?)
I feel a False Flag coming soon by the related agencies . NOAA , NASA , whoever

a reply to: TiredofControlFreaks

Flipping to green energy is costing the world billions of dollars and pushing people into energy poverty. The public paid for the raw data and deserves to have it.

Kind of like when Cheney's "National Energy Policy Development Group" used billions of taxpayers dollars to research global oil reserves and projections, and then fought all the way to the SUPREME COURT to prevent the public from getting any of their meeting minutes or data. F'ing criminals they are.