Since 2017, the Sabin Center for Climate Change Law has tracked government attempts to restrict or expand initiatives in science and climate. The first was the Climate Deregulation Tracker, which tracked climate-related regulatory actions under the first Trump administration, followed by the Climate Reregulation Tracker, which tracked actions under the Biden administration.
Three publicly accessible online tracking tools will track the new administration’s actions on climate change. The Climate Backtracker, which is the third iteration of Sabin Center climate regulation trackers, will record Trump administration actions to impact federal climate protections; the Inflation Reduction Act Tracker (co-maintained with the Environmental Defense Fund) will track changes in the status of climate programs established via the Inflation Reduction Act; and the Silencing Science Tracker (co-maintained with the Climate Science Legal Defense Fund) to monitor anti-science actions.
“During the four years of Trump 1.0, the administration worked to repeal many of the climate regulations adopted under Obama, but it took them a lot of time and they often messed up procedurally, leading to many reversals in court. Trump 2.0 is much better prepared and will probably issue many more decisions quickly. This can be dizzying for companies that need to comply, for advocates who oppose or support these actions, and for all those who care about the climate. Our Climate Backtracker will keep tabs on these Trump administration actions so that everyone will be able to see what is happening and react as they see fit,” said Sabin Center faculty director and Columbia Climate School professor Michael Gerrard.
The Sabin Center has also redesigned and updated its Climate Regulation Database. The database documents the history of federal efforts to address climate change, from the beginning of the Obama administration to today. It includes summaries and links to relevant federal regulations, policy statements, agency guidance and other materials, organized by federal agency. The Climate Regulation Database can serve as a resource for understanding the current state and history of federal climate action, and the impact of the Trump administration’s actions, as captured by the Climate Backtracker.
The Sabin Center and the Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) are relaunching the Inflation Reduction Act Tracker (IRA Tracker) with added functionality and analysis. The IRA Tracker is an interactive tool designed to help users understand the climate change-related provisions in the 2022 Inflation Reduction Act (IRA). The website includes a database with summaries of the IRA provisions, and an action tracker, which records actions taken by federal agencies to implement the IRA, and will be used to document any attempts to undermine or roll-back IRA programs during the Trump administration.
Finally, the Sabin Center and the Climate Science Legal Defense Fund (CSLDF) are relaunching their joint Silencing Science Tracker to document any anti-science actions taken by the Trump administration. The tracker, which was first launched after the 2016 presidential election, tracks media reports of federal, state and local government attempts to “silence science.” The Silencing Science Tracker is a useful tool to understand risks to critical scientific research at all levels of government.
For more information on the above, please contact Tiffany Challe, Communications Associate, (tc2868@columbia.edu); Romany Webb, Deputy Director (rmw2149@columbia.edu); or Olivia Guarna, Climate Justice Fellow (ong2107@columbia.edu)
Article source: https://news.climate.columbia.edu/2025/01/22/sabin-centers-online-tracking-tools-monitor-government-actions-on-climate-change/