Future funding for NASA’s Carbon Monitoring System (CMS) was recently cancelled, leaving the important program in jeopardy unless Congress takes action soon.
Rachel's Latest Posts
Photo: NASA
Proposed Budget Cuts to NASA’s Earth Science Division Are Damaging for All of Us
March 5, 2018 4:58 PM EDT
NASA’s Earth Science Division should be equipped with the funds it needs to carry out its critical work so that our nation can remain at the cutting edge and thrive. Read more >
Photo: Gage Skidmore
Pruitt Squirming away from the Weight of Climate Evidence
February 8, 2018 4:57 PM EDT
Since taking office, EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt has shifted how he talks about climate change. You may have heard that he recently suggested that global warming might actually be a good thing. If the consequences of global warming weren’t so serious for Americans, his determination to take down one of the most studied scientific topics of our time would be silly in a Wile E. Coyote and the Road Runner kind of way. However, the shifts in his tactics may signal just how difficult it is to refute such an enormous body of evidence.
What is the National Climate Assessment? The Most Comprehensive Report on Climate Change in the United States
November 1, 2017 10:37 AM EDT
This report is on my mind because the first draft of the next version (the fourth National Climate Assessment, or, NCA4) and one of its associated technical reports (the State of the Carbon Cycle) are due to be released for public comment this fall. In addition, the final version of the Climate Science Special Report – billed as Volume 1 of the National Climate Assessment – is due to be released in November. So far, these reports have proceeded according to plan and are slotted to provide the President, Congress, and the public with the best available science on climate change and its impacts on the United States. Read more >
Satellite view of California's wildfires and smoke. NASA's Aqua satellite collected this natural-color image on October 09, 2017. Photo: NASA
How Science Can Help Us Better Prepare for Wildfires: Insights from a NASA Scientist
October 17, 2017 3:56 PM EDT
In the midst of the catastrophic wildfires of Northern California that have claimed 41 lives and either destroyed or damaged more than 5,700 buildings, I wanted to know where the cutting edge of science on this issue is today. What made the California wildfires so strong and unusually destructive? Regardless of what started the fires, what conditions allowed the fires to spread so quickly? Did climate change have anything to do with it? What are scientists currently working on that can help communities better prepare for wildfires?