2 Major Science Organizations Unite For Vital Climate Collection

Every author working on a major U.S. climate report was recently dismissed. However, two major science organizations, the American Meteorological Society and the American Geophysical Union, are grabbing the baton and move the climate change science forward with a new “first of its kind science collection, according to an announcement Friday.

Why are these organizations stepping up?

The American Meteorological Society is the largest and oldest U.S. science and professional society focused on the atmospheric sciences. Founded in 1919 by Charles Franklin Brooks of the Blue Hill Observatory, I had the honor of serving as President of AMS over a decade ago. AMS hosts conferences, publishes scientific journals and serves as a hub for weather, climate, water, and related professionals, enthusiasts and students. The American Geophysical Union is a broader organization. Founded in 1917, its website says, “AGU is a global community supporting more than half a million advocates and professionals in the Earth and space sciences.” Its journals are also considered to be gold standards in our field. Each organization recently announced initiatives to assist scientists, professionals, and students as the navigate a changing federal landscape.

What is the National Climate Assessment?

In 2018, I wrote a “101” on the National Climate Assessment. The U.S. Global Change Research Program was created in 1989 by a Presidential Initiative issued by George H.W. Bush. A year later Congress passed the Global Change Research Act of 1990. Specific recommendations included the establishment of the USGCRP and a global (climate) change assessment report to Congress and the President every four years. As I wrote seven years ago, “By the way, I should mention that the U.S. Global Change Research Program (USGCRP) had actually been proposed in President Reagan’s final budget.” To date, there have been five NCA reports (2000, 2009, 2014, and 2017/2018, 2023). Preliminary organization had begun on NCA6.

So What Are AMS and AGU Doing?

Climate keeps going and so does research. As the policy levers turn, two of the most trusted science organizations are providing a pathway for scientists dismissed from NCA and other stakeholders to produce sound science and dissemination. In a joint press release, the organizations invited manuscripts for “a new, first-of-its-kind” special collection focused on climate change in the United States. This catalog of over 29 peer-reviewed journals covers all aspects of climate, including observations, projections, impacts, risks, and solutions.” The organizations emphasized that the new special collection is not a replacement for NCA.

AGU President Brandon Jones noted, “It’s incumbent on us to ensure our communities, our neighbors, our children are all protected and prepared for the mounting risks of climate change.” AMS President and Penn State Professor David Stensrud also weighed in. He said, “Our economy, our health, our society are all climate-dependent. While we cannot replace the NCA, we at AMS see it as vital to support and help expand this collaborative scientific effort for the benefit of the U.S. public and the world at large.”

Bernadette Woods Placky is Vice President for Engagement and Chief Meteorologist at Climate Central. The noted meteorologist who, directs their Climate Matters program, told me, “Science is the reason we know that the climate is changing, and advancing our understanding of those changes is essential to protecting lives and livelihoods. This collaboration between AGU and AMS, two leading scientific organizations, creates a pathway to support critical climate research—research that helps communities prepare for increasing weather extremes, rising sea levels, worsening air quality, and growing threats to our food costs.”