As you may have seen in my post about Open Data Week 2017, Trump announced that his administration would slash funding to the Environmental Protection Agency by 31%. In an article by the Gothamist, the impacts of these changes are outlined relating specifically to New York. Two notable changes from this article that intersect with data science include:
A 50% reduction in the EPA’s Office of Research and Development, the total elimination of the clean power plan.
The total elimination of funding for the Clean Power Plan, international climate change programs, climate change research and partnership programs, and “related efforts,” totaling $100 million.
-Gothamist
If any of this concerns you and you feel helpless, there is always a way for you to help. We need volunteers no matter what level of expertise they consider themselves because there is simply too much work to be done.
As Brendan, from the Data Refuge: A Conservation on Saving Climate Data, said, “if you want to get involved you don’t need to know really anything”. Steph, another lead speaker said, “We’ve had people come in who’ve only used computers for websurfing”. We need more volume to continue tackling thiswe are not lacking in mental power.
Below is a list of three actionable steps you can take to get involved:
- Visit envirodatagov.org
On this website they have links to various projects where you can contribute code and reach out to communities involved in rescuing data. If hosting your own event, seems intimidating at first, just show up to one. Think you can do it, but don’t know where to start? They even typed up a neat little checklist for you!
2.Attend Data Rescue NYC 2 at JSTOR on March 25th.
3. Join the Slack group to figure out where you fit in: http://archivers-slack.herokuapp.com/
I cannot stress number 1 enough. Everything you need to know from the comfort of your desk is on that website. If you are shy or simply don’t want to go alone, bring a friend! Data Refuge needs your manpower.