Agency Will Create National Climate Service to Spur Adaptation

Those who point to the recent cold spells as evidence of the fallacy of global warming discredit science. If substantial global warming were really occurring (which it is not) severe cold spells would be expected in some areas. However, that does not keep me from appreciating the continuing irony of global warming events being canceled due to cold weather. The most recent occurrence was the ribbon cutting for NOAA's new climate change office:

www.climate.gov

The proposed entity would provide "user-friendly" information to help governments and businesses adapt to climate change, creating a central federal source of information on everything from projections of sea level rise to maps of the nation's best sites for wind and solar power.

"Even with our best efforts, we know that some degree of climate change is inevitable," said Commerce Secretary Gary Locke, whose department includes NOAA. "American citizens, businesses and governments -- from local to federal -- must be able to rise to the challenges that lie ahead. And that's where NOAA's climate service will prove absolutely invaluable."

Just as NOAA's National Weather Service provides information on short-range environmental conditions, the proposed climate service will provide long-term projections of how climate will change, he added.