Unpopular Science

Feds cut program that helped poor countries adapt to climate change

Posted at 2:54 PM on 07 Aug 2008

The National Center for Atmospheric Research is eliminating a program that helped developing countries anticipate and deal with droughts, floods, and other realities of a changing climate. The now-defunct Center for Capacity Building, which had an annual budget of about $500,000, was reputable in the international climate community for its unique approach to the human side of climate change. "Knowledge related to the societal dimensions of global environmental problems is fundamental to efforts to arrive at practical and effective solutions," says former NCAR scientist Dr. Roger Pielke, Jr. "If anything, we need to expand attention in these areas." Steadily shrinking federal science budgets have caused the elimination of some 10 percent of NCAR positions supported by the National Science Foundation in the last five years.

sources:  The New York Times, The New York Times