404: Climate Data Not Found

The Purge isn’t just a horror movie. It’s also happening IRL.

But…in terms of website content, to be clear.

If you erase it, it’s like it never happened: Farmers and environmental groups are suing the United States Department of Agriculture for removing data and tools related to climate change.

Vanishing act: According to the groups suing, USDA removed websites on Jan. 30 without advance notice – which, by the way – violates the Freedom of Information Act and other laws. These resources help farmers “confront the escalating extreme weather threats like droughts and floods” by providing technical assistance for grants and loans for farmers.  

Clean energy, dirty directive?: This comes after President Trump signed executive orders that directed federal agencies to halt clean-energy spending. Farmers lost an estimated $20.3B tied to natural disasters in 2024, so that funding is pretty important to farmers.

Soundbite: “This isn’t a political agenda. We’re trying to feed the country, and to take science and information and potential funding resources away from farmers is ludicrous.” – New York farmer and president of the Northeast Organic Farming Association of New York, Wes Gillingham.