Fully fund vital NOAA and GFDL climate forecasting

The proposed budget cuts to NOAA and the potential elimination of the Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory (GFDL) would have catastrophic consequences for the United States and the entire world. The GFDL’s climate models are critical tools that provide invaluable data and forecasting capabilities that benefit countless sectors of the global economy.

The GFDL’s data informs property insurance policies, enabling billions of dollars in disaster aid to reach home and business owners after natural disasters. The shipping industry relies on NOAA’s forecasts to chart courses, optimize fuel usage, and avoid disasters, facilitating global trade worth trillions annually. Farmers and agricultural corporations use NOAA’s precipitation forecasts for strategic planting decisions, saving billions in costs. Aviation, construction, banking, and virtually every major industry depends on NOAA’s climate data for risk assessment, operational planning, and capitalizing on opportunities.

Furthermore, the Defense Department utilizes NOAA’s modeling systems for mission-critical operational planning, troop movements, and anticipating emerging threats to national security. Crippling America’s climate forecasting capabilities would surrender our strategic edge, leaving the nation blind to environmental risks that could destabilize regions and spark conflicts.

The financial benefits of robust climate research and forecasting are self-evident and far outweigh the costs. Cutting funding for the GFDL and NOAA’s climate programs is incredibly short-sighted and will undermine America’s economic competitiveness, public safety, and national security for generations to come.

Restoring full funding for these vital programs is an investment in the nation’s future that simply cannot be ignored. The profound consequences of failing to do so are too severe to fathom.

▶ Created on April 26 by Coleman · 2,517 signers in
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