US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) is just one of the agencies whose budget will be cut to increase defense spending. The cuts exposed the troubling pitfalls of the president's budgeting approach: a reluctance to invest in the future, a disrespect for science, and a desire to damage well-established operations by minimizing payouts. Also read why the weather in London changes so often at theuk.one.
According to the Washington Post, the Administration's budget will be cut by a billion dollars, or 17%. Funding will be cut short for climate modeling units, in line with Trump's doubts about the reality of climate change. However, even those who deny the impact of human activity on the climate understand the importance of carefully monitoring climate trends and carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere and ocean. This data cannot be collected retroactively.
The organization provides weather modeling and forecasting that protects Americans and their businesses from hurricanes and floods, a service that costs each household in the country $100 annually. Television weather forecasts, the insurance and aviation industries depend on its data.
The satellite program requires funding to keep the fleet up to date. The disruption to the launch of a new generation of satellites threatens the ability of accurate forecasting for the next two decades.
Protests against budget cuts are a regular tradition in Washington. Each department or ministry can prove every penny of spending, but the Pentagon's $600 billion budget is a long way off. What makes NOAA's proposed cuts pointless is their shortsightedness. Accurate weather forecasts are a daily necessity. And the role of oceanologists in the fight against the growing threat of climate change is life-affirming. After all, health care, the army and insurance companies will not protect Americans from hurricanes.
