The Independent View: NY and Columbia University Reinstate Climate Advisory Panel

New York and Columbia University team up to Reinstate Climate Advisory Panel disbanded by Trump.

A big part of the Trump Administration’s Agenda is to undo everything and anything that might be seen as something that helps the vulnerable, or simply liked by Progressives.

One of the ways he does that is through undermining America’s efforts to Understand and Effectively grapple with Climate Change, which is why he Disbanded the U.S. Climate Advisory Committee in August 2017.

A Coalition is aiming to undo Trump’s Advisory Committee destruction by Reinstating it, outside of the reach of Trump’s hands.

The Coalition includes the State of New York and Columbia University’s Earth Institute, which announced:

Effective Jan. 1st, the Earth Institute has brought on Richard Moss, the former Chairman of the Federal Advisory Committee for the National Climate Assessment, as a Visiting Senior Research Scientist in the Earth Institute’s Research Program on Sustainability Policy and Management.

In his Role, Moss will Reestablish the Panel, and Deliver the Report that the Committee originally set out to write. The Earth Institute is supplying Financial and Logistical Support as well as Office space for the effort.

New York’s Governor Andrew Cuomo (D) will also help Reinstate the Committee. In a Statement detailing the Proposals from his recent State of the State address, it explains:

In the Absence of Guidance from the Advisory Committee, Decision-makers will have Limited Ability to know how Climate Change will Impact their Organizations and Communities, and what they can do to better Plan for those Impacts.

Therefore, Governor Cuomo, as Co-Chair of the U.S. Climate Alliance and in Collaboration with Partners, will reconvene the Advisory Committee to Develop Recommendations to Navigate the Challenges of Climate change. As a result, the Advisory Committee will continue its critical work without Political interference and provide the Guidance needed to adapt to a Changing Climate.

The Committee won’t have the same Power or Reach as the Federal Version, of course. Its Power will be limited in its current capacity. However, it aims to make information about Climate Change more accessible and provide Resources to better understand how dire of a situation we’re in and what we can do to mitigate that. I’m looking forward to seeing what they will do!

I think more States and Universities may join in. States and Municipalities have been doing more in the way of concrete Reviews and Planning as they Build and Support so much Infrastructure, Roads, Ports, Utilities such as Water and Sewer, that are all threatened, especially in Coastal Areas. All interests in Climate Change need information as Rainfall Patterns are Disrupted, Heat Waves, Cold Waves, and Droughts intensify.

If our States and Universities don't get behind this type of Research, there will be a massive Brain Drain to Countries that value Science over Corruption and Ideology. While Climate Science will go on somewhere, without a Domestic Research Presence, nobody will be Calculating the Risks to Specific Locations in the U.S. which need to be prepared.