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Why Was Climate Change Language Stripped From DNR Web Page?
References to climate change, rising temperatures and the human activities that cause them have been removed recently from a Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources web page.
The revisions were caught by James Rowen, a former reporter and editor at the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel who now blogs about state politics. He said this isn't the first time Gov. Scott Walker and his administration deliberately carried out politicized changes to state-sponsored websites, and that it's a reflection of the "chamber of commerce mentality" coming from the state Capitol.
"I noticed that even though it's a website about the impact of climate change on Wisconsin and the Great Lakes, most of the references to climate change, as well as the specific words 'climate' and 'climate change,' were no longer on the page," Rowen said.
As recently as October, the heading of the web page read "Climate Change and Wisconsin's Great Lakes" in big, bold letters, and then went on to explain human activities are increasing greenhouse gases and contributing to the warming of the planet.
A screenshot taken Wednesday, Dec. 28 of the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources webpage in question and how it looked on Oct. 30, 2016, using the Wayback Machine web archive.
It also mentioned the string of record-high temperatures during the past decade and then listed the potential to negatively affect the state's lakes, plants and wildlife. Those effects included lower lake water levels, reduced habitat in wetland areas, decreased winter ice coverage and intensified weather events.
Additionally, it provided as many as eight links and academic citations to research on climate change and its impact on the Great Lakes region.
The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported the changes happened Dec. 21.
The heading of the same webpage now reads "The Great Lakes and a changing world" and has been shortened by a total of 205 words. Gone are links to research and any mention of "climate change." It states earth is going through a change, as it has throughout the centuries.
"The reasons for this change at this particular time in the earth's long history are being debated and researched by academic entities outside the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources," the webpage now states.
Actually the reason for these changes is NOT being debated. The scientific debate is over.
This is pure Orwellian dis-information.
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“Power is in tearing human minds to pieces and putting them together again in new shapes of your own choosing.”
George Orwell