In his first hours returning to the White House in January, President Donald Trump signed an executive order entitled “.Restore freedom of speech and end federal censorship. ” But it soon became clear that he actually imposes rules on language. Only recognize two genders and Shut down diversity equity and inclusion programs. With one executive order, he redefines “energy.” Exclude the sun and wind power.
Within a few days, we will not only have “diversity” but also “clean energy” and “climate change” It’s starting to disappear From the federal government website. Other institutions and organizations have begun scrubing their websites. Scientists who received federal funds were told to end activities that contradict Trump’s executive order. Government officials – at least who He was not fired – Worried that acknowledging the existence of underground warming could put jobs at risk, I began to find ways to step into the work of climate.
The Trump administration’s crackdown on words tied to progressive causes reflects the rise of what has been called “woke up” A reactionary movement with its own linguistic rules against the term “awakening” which has become more common in recent years. Since Trump took office, federal agencies have removed more climate change information 200 Government Websitesthe network that tracks these changes, according to the Environmental Data and Governance Initiative. These changes in language lay the foundation for how people understand the reality and truth, and widen the deep gap between how Republicans and Democrats understand the world.
“I think every powerful individual and every powerful entity is trying to bend reality in a way and play for their own benefit,” said Norma Mendoza Denton, professor of anthropology at the University of California, Los Angeles. Books on the use of Trump language. “It’s not unique, but it definitely has an unprecedented range of things that are happening, how it’s happening, the speed at the moment.”
Gretchengerke, which monitors the federal websites of environmental data and governance initiatives, says the government’s sites are one of the few sources of public trust in authoritative and reliable information.
“It allows us to identify and discuss reality,” Gehrke says. “If you’re only dealing with information you receive via social media, it’s literally working in a variety of realities.”
Institutions that do not follow Trump’s executive orders are already facing consequences. For example, after President Trump re-reported the Gulf of Mexico, the Associated Press reported that reports had centuries old names. The reporter lost access to the White House As a result. The impact of these language obligations has echoed across society, leaving university researchers, nonprofits and executives alike looking for MAGA-friendly phrases away from the government’s crosshairs. The solar industry no longer talks about climate change, for example, but it is “American energy domination” that reflects Trump’s platform.
The new language rules are expected to limit what many scientists are allowed to study. “It’s going to be really hard to do the work of climate justice,” said Amanda Finkle, director of the Climate Sciences of the Union of Concern Scientists, on the field of studying how warming planets affect people with inequality. National Science Foundation It accounts for about a quarter of federal support for universitiesflags research that could violate Trump’s executive order on gender and diversity initiatives Based on word search “Women,” “Institutions,” “Biass,” “Alienated,” “Trauma.” “I think it’s going to delete the information and suppress the scientists and silence them, but that’s just a calm effect,” Fencl says. “It’s really disruptive.”
During Trump’s first term, references to climate change disappeared from federal environmental websites using periods It’s down by about 38% It will only reappear under the Biden administration between 2016 and 2020. Trump’s second term appears to be taking a more positive attitude towards sweeping away the words used by left-leaning organizations, scientists and the wider public. Last summer, Leak Videos from Project 2025 – The policy agenda, organized by the Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank, has been revealed by a former Trump official who declares that political appointees “must root out climate change references from anywhere.”
DeSantis says he is “restoring his sanity” by eliminating climate change from Florida law
Some government officials are finding ways to continue working in the climate despite the hostile atmosphere. The Atlantic reported in February that one team of federal workers from an unknown agency had Sealed in a technology-free room To hold climate-related meetings, employees use encrypted signaling messages instead of emails. “All I’ve ever wanted to do was help Americans become more resilient due to climate change,” an anonymous source at the agency said. “Now I’m treated like a criminal.”
When Trump last took office, federal employees replaced many references to “climate change” with soft phrases like “sustainability” and “resilience.” Nowadays, many vague, previously safe terms have also disappeared from websites, with fewer and fewer options for raising environmental concerns. “You can’t really deal with issues that you can’t identify,” Geke said. a Research into the 2022 Journal Ecological Economics He examined e-music representations of climate change used under the previous Trump administration, arguing that avoiding clear language could undermine awareness efforts to take action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
However, using more delicious synonyms can also be seen as a way for scientists and government officials to continue their important work. For example, when the Federal Emergency Management Agency rebrands the brand“Future Conditions” from the “Climate Resilience” site In January, he stripped the main landing page of climate change references and left them on a sub-page. “For me, I read it as an attempt to fly under the radar,” Geke said.
Of course, the changing reality of the climate will not disappear even if the phrase itself is hidden. Florida Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis signed a bill last year to remove most mentions of climate change from Florida law, but still deals with the consequences of a warming planet, continuing to approve funds to help coastal communities adapt to flooding and protect themselves from hurricanes. He just said itStrengthening and strengthening FloridaWithout mentioning climate change.
“We can ban language if necessary,” Mendoza Denton said. “But the concept still needs to be spoken.”
