In a major escalation of this administration’s attack on science and weather research, the Office of Management and Budget is saying it plans to break up the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) in Boulder. It accuses this renowned institution of “climate alarmism,” and “green new scam activities.”
As any climate scientist will tell you, we simply do not have time for this foolishness. If we do not defend these treasured scientific institutions right away, Trump will do to science what he did to the White House’s East Wing, and we will feel the fallout in all of our communities.
For over half a century, Colorado has been a hub of innovation and research for the federal government through the work of NCAR and the four National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) research labs in Boulder. These institutions generate cutting-edge scientific advances, along with weather and greenhouse gas data that the country relies on to stay safe from weather and climate disasters. The president’s plans for NCAR and proposed budget for the NOAA labs would shut these labs down or dramatically reduce their funding, compromising our country’s ability to provide early warning and to inform preparedness for wildfires, droughts, floods and other extreme weather and climate impacts.
I served as the director of one of the NOAA labs until my retirement earlier this year, and worked to advance the prediction of extreme weather events, among other things. That included minimizing impacts to major infrastructure systems that are too important to fail, such as nuclear facilities, high-hazard dams and flood control levees.
Research from the NOAA labs helps improve the predictability of wildfire behavior, from minutes to hours, and wildfire risks, from days to weeks, to allow officials to strategically position resources in advance. It also helps predict the availability of water and conditions leading to drought, which informs how we manage water resources in arid regions in the West.
Watching the shrinking of NOAA staff this year – through dismissals and early retirements – has been indescribable. I am disheartened and frustrated to witness this attempt to push the nation’s top-notch scientific talent out of the government. With this attack on the agency, its operations, and on scientific integrity, the Boulder laboratories stand to lose critical expertise the country needs to produce cutting-edge science that will support future decision making.
The research activities NCAR and the NOAA labs in Boulder conduct are predominant sources of authoritative weather and climate data, forecasts of extreme weather and predictions of changes in climate. The administration would rather pretend: if we don’t see it, study it, or predict it, then it doesn’t exist.
The future impacts of tornadoes, hurricanes, wildfires, droughts and other weather disasters on our nation will sadly show them otherwise. Lives, property, livelihoods and the health of our economy are riding on the science the NOAA labs and NCAR produce.
Here in Boulder, we’re fortunate to have a champion for NCAR and NOAA and for science, Representative Joe Neguse, a Democrat representing Congressional District 2. He has introduced legislation that would boost NOAA funding, protect life-saving programs and restore access to vital services.
Congress should follow his lead and use its oversight power to protect the core missions and critical capabilities of these excellent institutions that Americans count on every day to protect their health, safety, and economies.
Robert S. Webb retired in January after over 30 years at NOAA, most recently as director of NOAA’s Physical Sciences Laboratory.
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The post I worked at NOAA for 30 years, and know Trump’s attack on Colorado’s world-class science labs puts us all at risk (Opinion) appeared first on Denver Post