US Climate-Data Retreat Gives China a New Opportunity

The economic and political importance of monitoring the weather — or at least the effects of weather — was clear to the ancient Egyptians. They came up with the “nilometer,” a device measuring Nile River flooding that could predict agricultural (and thus tax) yields. It also was likely clear to foreign intelligence agents breaching Australia’s Bureau of Meteorology in 2015 (China denied any involvement).

From farmers to insurers to homeowners, understanding the weather, how it’s changed and what it may do next is of vital economic importance. But in the US, with polarized views on the proven science of climate change, even collecting data has become a partisan issue. The Trump administration for example has cut swathes of spending and personnel tied to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, or NOAA.