It takes an ecosystem

We spend a lot of time telling you how unique, and uniquely important, our work here at Woodwell Climate is. With good reason. I can’t think of a more important mission than science for solutions to address the climate crisis, and our partnership model and focus on impact distinguish us from many other scientific organizations.

But we are far from alone in working to advance scientific understanding of our planet and propel us toward a healthy, equitable, sustainable future (thank goodness). This is work that takes a rich ecosystem of actors each playing their part, from corporations to non-profits, academic institutions to federal agencies. Those federal agencies have been prominent in our thoughts and conversations, as well as headlines, in recent weeks.

NASA, NOAA, NSF, USGS, EPA, USDA, NIH, DOE … the list goes on. Not everyone knows what all these acronyms stand for, but collectively, these federal departments and agencies conduct essential research, provide tools beyond the capacity of any individual organization, and distribute tens of billions of dollars in research funding.

NASA and NOAA satellites are sources of essential—and freely available—data about how our own planet is changing.

Through the National Weather Service, the National Hurricane Center, the Climate Ready Nation initiative, and more, NOAA provides critically important science about weather, oceans, and climate, to help U.S. communities be safer and more successful.

The Department of Energy is home to the nation’s seventeen national laboratories, which for decades have been flagships of innovation and discovery to “tackle the critical scientific challenges of our time.”

The US Global Change Research Program, established in 1990, provides regular National Climate Assessments and coordinates activities across fifteen departments and agencies to enable an all-of-government approach to addressing a changing environment.

Woodwell Climate researchers benefit from federal grants, build on satellite and other federal datasets, collaborate with federal researchers, and participate in federally-coordinated research synthesis efforts. Federal scientists are friends and colleagues here in Woods Hole. Two of our former CEOs have served in the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, one as the Director of that Office, and I served for two years at NSF as Director of the Arctic System Science Program. In other words, we are intimately familiar with the important work of our federal agencies, and the people who do it.

Soon after I arrived at NSF in 2013, I wrote the following in a newsletter “My dominant impression is one of respect for my new colleagues at NSF. They are all smart, hard working, and dedicated to funding the best science. They … care deeply about scientific progress. They struggle, even agonize, about funding decisions and have to constantly weigh many competing priorities… But they keep at it, year after year, doing their absolute best to do the most with the resources they have.”

As federal employees face unprecedented challenges, I want to express my heartfelt gratitude for all that they do. They are shining examples of public servants. They make our country stronger and our world a better place.

Onward,