Saturday, August 3, 2013

The Weather Channel on climate change and Congress

I opened Climate science choking on the latest serving of Satan Sandwich with the following discussion of the hot topic of sequestration's effects on federally funded research.
In More science and the Satan Sandwich, SciShow on sequestration's effects on science, and Space and astronomy news: Satan Sandwich edition #1, I described the effects of sequestration on science research in general and NASA in particular, as well as efforts to reverse them.  Now, it's time to show how the latest serving of Satan Sandwich is hurting climate research, which might be more of a feature than a bug.
Three videos this week from The Weather Channel expand on that subject and its effects, beginning with Federal Sequester Furloughs Hurricane Hunters.
The Weather Channel meteorologist Julie Martin reports because of mandatory furloughs due to the sequester may hamper the Air Force Reserve's hurricane hunters this season.
Video does not embed, but this cartoon by Wuerker gets the point across.

The Devil is indeed in the details.

Congress isn't just causing problems by imposing austerity.  It's actively trying to change the research priorities of NOAA, as reported  in Weather Forecasting Bill Raises Eyebrows.

A bill in the U.S. House of Representatives aims to direct money from climate change research to improving technology for weather forecasting. Meteorologist Mike Bettes has the story.
One of the effects of climate change is the loss of coastal towns and cities.  The sea doesn't even have to rise to make it happen as explained in Town Will Disappear by 2025!

The Weather Channel host Matt Sampson tells us how storm erosion will wipe the city of Kivalina, Alaska off the Earth by 2025.
And climate change research isn't important?  Yeah, right.

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