A Rising Tide of Support for a National Climate Service

Climate change is a hot topic in the halls of Congress. News coverage has centered on the Waxman-Markey climate change bill, The American Clean Energy and Security Act of 2009 (HR 2454), which the House passed by a slim margin—219 to 212—on 26 June. The House Committee on Science and Technology has also been busy, crafting legislation to create a National Climate Service.. Hot air emanating from some media talking heads might lead the casual observer to believe that Congress routinely creates new agencies; in fact, however, lawmakers rarely direct the establishment of a new federal office. Nonetheless, stakeholders ranging from scientists to local utility managers have been encouraging Congress to create a new climate forecasting function—a "National Climate Service" or "Climate Services Program," which would be housed in NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration). NOAA already houses the National Weather Service (NWS), whose mission is to provide "weather, hydrologic, and climate forecasts and warnings," but weather and climate are different. Weather is a snapshot of atmospheric conditions at a specific place and time, whereas climate is the long-term average pattern of weather for a particular region. A National Climate Service, supporters assert, could provide decision­makers at all levels of society with the information they need to respond to climate change. The House Science and Technology Committee recently considered HR 2407—the N...
Source: Washington Watch - Category: Biology Authors: Source Type: news