Climate Change Sign Removed at Fort Sumter
The National Park Service has taken down a sign at Fort Sumter in South Carolina, a historic site where the Civil War began, which warned visitors about the risks of climate change. This sign specifically indicated that rising sea levels could threaten the fort’s walls, stating that should sea levels at Charleston Harbor rise by four feet, the ground would be “permanently submerged.”
Reports cite three unnamed federal officials suggesting that this decision was influenced by President Donald Trump’s executive order from March. That order demanded the removal of “inappropriate, divisive, or anti-American ideology” from federal properties, including national parks.
The directive also instructed the Secretary of the Interior to restore parks, monuments, and statues perceived to have been “unjustly removed or altered” recently due to what was described as misguided historical revisions.
The fort itself, located in Charleston Harbor, was the scene of a Confederate attack in 1861, marking the beginning of the Civil War.
Elizabeth Peace, a spokesperson for the Interior Department, mentioned in a statement to The New York Times that while the National Park Service routinely modifies or removes interpretative material for consistency and accuracy, no specifics about the sign’s removal were provided.
Kristen Brengel, a senior vice president at the National Park Conservation Association, criticized the actions taken by the Trump administration, stating that this was an example of “censoring climate science.” Brengel argued that removing the sign deprived visitors of important information regarding the realities of climate change affecting Fort Sumter. She emphasized the work done by Park Service employees who have long warned about the threats posed by rising sea levels to the site.
Additionally, the Trump administration had also urged the National Park Service to scrutinize and eliminate materials addressing diversity and anti-American ideology from gift shops across parks.
