Today is Blog Action Day '09, "an annual event held every October 15 that unites the world's bloggers in posting about the same issue on the same day with the aim of sparking discussion around an issue of global importance." The theme for 2009 is Climate Change, the same theme as Earth Science Week in the U.S. Nearly 10,000 bloggers are participating from 150 countries.
This is an exciting new way for engaging millions of people in socially-relevant science. It's exactly the kind of activity that COPUS and the Year of Science 2009 had in mind when they were formed.
For me, there was a significant event in Washington DC that signals a change in the nation's view of climate change. On September 14, Sec. of Interior Ken Salazar issued an Executive Order establishing a National Climate Change Response Center with the USGS providing science leadership. The intent is to focus on climate change adaptation and away from the debate over existence or cause of the changes we see around us. Among the goals of the NCCRC are to develop and execute management actions with monitoring and feedback. One statement that caught my attention is the goal to moderate harm or exploit beneficial changes.
Instead of endless political debates over whether the science is right, or wringing of hands of what this might mean, we now have the federal land management, resource, and science agencies working to deal realistically with the consequences of climate change.
I was at the first meeting of the USGS Council on Data Integration two days after Sec. Salazar's announcement, where we were briefed on the new executive order and the critical need for data and data integration.
The NCCRC will come out of a revamp of the year-old National Climate Change and Wildlife Science Center. The prototype organization will be a small national office in Reston VA, with an estimated 8 Regional Climate Change Response Center hubs to be set up, at cooperating agencies facilities around the country. The new Climate Change Response Council, composed of the Secretary and Deputy Secretary and the heads of the Interior agencies, met the following week for the first time.
In the briefings and discussions a the USGS meeting, we heard that geology and related data sets are key elements to be integrated into the system, including specific mentions of surficial geology and soils.
There are important roles for the geosciences here and exciting opportunities for students to find careers that will make a difference in our world.
Leave a Comment