This is the first in a three-part series looking at the Trump administration’s attempts to undermine sources we typically look to for truth. You can find the umbrella article here.

What is science? Why do we hold scientific facts above opinions or other information? In short, scientific statements are well-supported by evidence and are reviewed by other independent scientists. As with news, it’s important that you trust the source of your scientific information; in the age of the internet, fake science is just as easy to pass off as fake news. Check out our newly updated overview page for science to learn more.

The Politicization of Science: It’s Not Just Trump

Politicization of science is not new to the Trump administration. For years, politicians and partisan think-tanks have been propping up their own scientific studies (which may not have been rigorously conducted or gone through peer review) and have been trying to silence or discredit studies that are contrary to their interests. The tobacco industry notoriously pushed back against studies linking cigarette smoking to lung cancer and heart disease. Stem cell research and sex education suffered political interference during the second Bush administration. Across party lines, parents are refusing to vaccinate their children because of a thoroughly debunked study linking vaccines and autism that is continually perpetuated by politicians and celebrities. Wikipedia has an overview of several other examples.

However, the most prominent politicized science issue in recent memory is definitely climate change. Although there is a strong scientific consensus that the earth’s climate is changing in response to human activity (namely, burning of fossil fuels since the industrial revolution), Republican lawmakers have often cast the issue as a matter of “belief” or claim that it is a hoax perpetuated by liberals, scientists, or foreign governments. They’ve greatly exaggerated the importance of stories such as the “Climategate” emails, even after independent investigations found no evidence of wrongdoing. They’ve purposefully confused weather and climate; Senator Inhofe (R-Okla.) famously brought a snowball to the senate floor to show that, because it is cold outside, climate change is obviously a hoax. That Republicans appointed him as chairman of the Committee on Environment and Public Works clearly demonstrates their contempt for climate science.

And it worked. Pew Research has done exhaustive analyses showing the stark divide on the demographics of people who do and don’t “believe” in climate change. In short, 15% of conservative Republicans believe that the earth is warming due to human activity, versus 79% of liberal Democrats (with moderates in the middle). Americans who lean Republican are less likely to believe scientists act in the best interest of the public and are much more likely to believe that climate scientists research findings are influenced by their political leanings.

To reiterate, virtually all scientists (over 97%) say that climate change is happening and is primarily driven by human activities. They have spent their lives studying this and they have piles of evidence to back up their claims. Politicians, who may receive campaign contributions from the fossil fuel industry or may represent a state with significant economic ties to fossil fuels, say that it isn’t. They have no evidence and have not disproven the scientists’ evidence. These aren’t equivalent viewpoints and there is no room for “belief” in the face of such a mismatch in factual evidence.

This post is titled “Trump and the Erosion of Truth.” Why are we talking about years of Republican climate change denial? Because it has laid the groundwork for Trump to throw science out the window. By planting the seed that climate scientists are corrupt and politically motivated and that their findings are equivalent to political opinions, by making scientists part of “the other team,” action taken against scientists can be viewed as righteous and deserved.

So What Has Trump Done?

For starters, Trump has repeatedly claimed that climate change is a hoax. Trump has also perpetuated the dangerous and false myth that childhood vaccinations are linked to autism. So as far as recent issues in which overwhelming scientific evidence is being denied, Trump is batting 0/2.

Now, the Twitter rants of Citizen Trump have given way to policies by President Trump. Prior to and shortly after Trump’s inauguration, several controversial actions took place:

President Trump’s Department of Energy transition team requested a list of scientists who had worked on climate change for unknown purposes. Obama’s DOE staff refused to provide the names.

The only mention of climate change on the new White House website under President Trump is an excerpt of Trump’s energy plan in which he pledges to eliminate climate plans put forth by President Obama. This is a marked change from the Obama White House website which featured an extensive page on the challenges of climate change.

The Twitter account of the National Park Service was temporarily forced to shutdown after someone used it to retweet messages about the website changes and Trump’s inauguration crowd size. The Badlands National Park Twitter account responded by tweeting facts about climate change (which were deleted several hours later), and an “Alternate” National Park Service social media movement was formed in response to the perceived silencing of the official park service channels.

The Trump administration reportedly instructed the EPA to remove their webpage on climate change, though they later backed off and denied that this was their intention.

At the same time, a “media blackout” was ordered at the EPA, which amplified fears that the agency was being silenced. The EPA has since resumed normal news releases, but its social media accounts have been silent since January 19.

Also at the same time, the EPA had been instructed to temporarily freeze all grants and contracts. The freeze was lifted several days later. This is not terribly unusual during a transition, but didn’t look good when combined with the other actions involving the EPA.

Trump has also nominated or appointed several people to agencies or transition teams who are seemingly antithetical to the agencies they are overseeing:

Trump selected Myron Ebell to lead the EPA transition team. Ebell is a climate change denier who wants to cut the EPA workforce by two-thirds.

Trump’s nominee to lead the EPA is Scott Pruitt, who frequently sued the EPA during his time as Oklahoma’s attorney general. He has ties to the oil industry and, although he does not believe climate change is a “hoax,” claims that scientists “continue to disagree” (even though over 97% of do, in fact, agree).

Trump nominated Rick Perry as energy secretary. In an infamous 2012 primary debate, Perry advocated complete elimination of the Department of Energy (though he couldn’t remember its name). In addition to maintaining America’s nuclear arsenal, the DOE is in charge of some of our most prestigious research laboratories. After learning what the agency does, Mr. Perry now says he “regrets” advocating its closure.

Rex Tillerson, former ExxonMobil CEO and Trump’s confirmed nominee for Secretary of State, says climate change “may” pose a risk but undercuts scientists’ projections and does not seem convinced that action should be taken.

Trump appointed Robert Kennedy Jr., part of the debunked movement that links childhood vaccines with autism, as the chair of a panel on vaccine safety and scientific integrity.

Any one of these incidents or nominations might be dismissed as a fluke, or a new administration finding its feet. But together with his denialist views on climate change and vaccines, they form a pattern: Donald Trump does not respect the scientific process, its objectivity, or the scientists that have dedicated their lives to the pursuit of knowledge. Instead of learning from and furthering the wealth of scientific knowledge our nation has produced, Trump would rather validate his existing, misinformed views and gut agencies that challenge those views. He is already stacking the political deck in his favor, and based on his actions so far, seems willing to silence or undermine anyone who disagrees with him.

Scientists and the public have taken note. After Trump’s election, scientists began backing up public data on climate change, fearing that it may vanish or become harder to obtain under the Trump administration. A March for Science has been scheduled on Earth Day, where scientists and supporters of science intend to march on the White House and over 200 satellite locations. Several organizations are supporting scientists who want to run for office.

For the sake of science, our objective and respected process for learning about our world, I hope the public and our representatives in government continue to push back and insist that scientific facts cannot be ignored and must not be silenced.

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