ClimateScienceWatch reports:
On the government shutdown and climate research
Posted on October 2, 2013 by Rick Piltz“Every day, this shutdown is having adverse effects on a wide range of climate research across the federal agencies,” we said to Climate Wire. “Rick Piltz, director of the Climate Science Watch program at the Government Accountability Project, added that furloughing what he called the ‘intelligence community of climate science’ sends a ‘terrible’ message to both the researchers and the American people: ‘What a slap in the face it is to the science community, to just shut them down.'”
In “Washington’s climate — hot rhetoric, cold comfort as a few good employees struggle on,” Elizabeth Harball at Climate Wire (subscription required) scanned the federal science landscape on the first day of the U.S. Government shutdown. Every federal agency involved in climate research is affected by the shutdown.
At the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the National Weather Service will continue to provide weather forecasts but climate research will essentially be halted. For example, Climate Wire notes:
“The vast majority of other climate research under the federal government has stopped. NOAA’s research vessels will all be ordered to return to port, scientific staff will be sent home, and research efforts will be wound down,” said Jeff Watters, associate director of government relations for ocean conservancy, in a blog post Monday. “There’s no doubt that a government shutdown would be a blow to ongoing federal ocean research efforts.”
The shutdown comes at an especially inconvenient time for climate research; a number of scientists with NOAA were co-authors of the latest Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change report, which was released in full Monday.
Since the shutdown, these experts are no longer available to help interpret the 2,000-page document for journalists or policymakers…
IPCC has already ‘interpreted’ in their summary for policy makers. NOAA’s effort is redundant.
They will not be interpeting the data they will be spinning it.
If you are on this site you already knew that.
94% of EPA furloughed, now the NOAA propaganda mill shut down. Heck I can get into this shutdown thing!!
There’s always a bright side. Sceptic scientists are not locked out. The media will want something to feed the unwashed. Go get ’em, boys and girls.
Sounds like the best reason yet to continue the shutdown until Obama is out of office.
Whats to interpret. It seems pretty plain to me, they Know bumpkiss about buttkiss.