Ocean health should be priority for NOAA
Oklahomans know the power of a storm, whether it be thunderstorms or tornadoes. With the National Weather Center located in Norman, it makes sense for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), which oversees the center, to come to Norman to discuss severe weather as it did on Aug. 30. It also makes sense that faith voices are part of that discussion, since it is often the faith community that joins together to respond to severe weather crises by rallying our congregations and community members to help those in need after a storm.
As NOAA launches a series of listening sessions throughout the country to discuss the Department of Commerce’s five-year strategic plan, it is important to remember that in addition to predicting and responding to severe storms, knowledge of oceanic behavior must be a critical focus for NOAA to help lead in the important area of mitigating severe storms. That focus must necessarily include the impact of climate change, since when climate changes our oceans change, and that can create the severe weather patterns we are seeing.
Not only does ocean health influence weather patterns and storm severity, but also human health. In storm after storm, it is often communities of color and vulnerable populations that are hit the hardest. Hurricane Katrina, which made landfall 13 years ago, is a prime example. More than half of New Orleans’ African-American population was displaced, by far the largest proportion than any other group. The disproportionate impact borne by blacks during Hurricane Katrina is a spotlight on the toll that severe storms can take on communities of color.
While we appreciate NOAA’s leadership in predicting and warning communities of severe weather events, we urge the agency to provide that same level of commitment to our oceans, a major factor in the severity of our weather. That would include giving serious consideration to protecting marine sanctuaries and marine national monuments, promotion of federal fisheries management that is sustainable and puts ocean and coastal community health first, and heading off climate change by limiting offshore fossil fuel drilling and exploration. One only need look at recent history to recognize that oil spills in our oceans devastate communities along the coast and exacerbate climate change.
Faith organizations and denominations across the country have long underscored the need to address climate change as an important pathway to protecting ocean health, and believe it must be a critical part of NOAA’s program of weather research. The vital work of connecting global warming to its impact on oceans and threat to human well-being will be key to our ability to address environmental injustices in communities of color.
In the subsequent listening sessions in Alaska, Florida, Seattle, San Diego and other regions, NOAA will likely hear more about the connection of climate change to ocean health. As a faith leader, I trust they will listen intently and become increasingly able to diminish severe storms in addition to helping us prepare for disasters.