NOAA proposal scraps climate mission

President Donald Trump’s administration appears to be planning to shift the mission of a federal climate agency away from climate change.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, which is part of the Department of Commerce, operates a constellation of earth-observing satellites and works with climate-science data and analysis.

A slide presentation during a Department of Commerce meeting noted that the agency’s mission, which previously began with “to understand and predict changes in climate, weather, oceans and coasts,” had been changed to remove the word “climate” and to begin with “to observe, understand and predict atmospheric and ocean conditions.”

The presentation also included a new emphasis: “To protect lives and property, empower the economy, and support homeland and national security.”

While the past mission for the agency was focused on “healthy ecosystems, communities and economies that are resilient in the face of change,” the present mission, according to the presentation, has replaced that with a focus on “a safe, secure and growing economy empowered through accurate, reliable and timely environmental information.”

The presentation was by Tim Gallaudet, an oceanographer and retired Navy rear admiral who is the acting head of the agency. When asked for comment, Gallaudet said in a statement that the presentation was “a simplified draft for discussion.”