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Trump White House Quietly Cancels NASA Research Verifying Greenhouse Gas Cuts (sciencemag.org)

Paul Voosen, reporting for Science magazine: You can't manage what you don't measure. The adage is especially relevant for climate-warming greenhouse gases, which are crucial to manage -- and challenging to measure. In recent years, though, satellite and aircraft instruments have begun monitoring carbon dioxide and methane remotely, and NASA's Carbon Monitoring System (CMS), a $10-million-a-year research line, has helped stitch together observations of sources and sinks into high-resolution models of the planet's flows of carbon. Now, President Donald Trump's administration has quietly killed the CMS, Science has learned.

The move jeopardizes plans to verify the national emission cuts agreed to in the Paris climate accords, says Kelly Sims Gallagher, director of Tufts University's Center for International Environment and Resource Policy in Medford, Massachusetts. "If you cannot measure emissions reductions, you cannot be confident that countries are adhering to the agreement," she says. Canceling the CMS "is a grave mistake," she adds.

5 of 291 comments (clear)

  1. Why should the US Gov't care? by Nutria · · Score: 3, Informative

    They withdrew from the PCA a year ago, so monitoring compliance of countries in the Accords is not within the USA's purview anymore.

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    "I don't know, therefore Aliens" Wafflebox1
  2. Re:Time for other countries to step up by WindBourne · · Score: 2, Informative

    LOL.
    U do realize that America has dropped our CO2 as much as Europe has (25% since 1990) while China has gone up 400% over the same time? And it is America that continues to drop our CO2, while Europe has flatlined for nearly 5 years. China had appeared to stall for 201[56] and then rose again last year, and appears to be continuing that rise this year. Do note that China had a MAJOR economic downturn during 201[56] and is back to its previous path.

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    I prefer the "u" in honour as it seems to be missing these days.
  3. Re:Time for other countries to step up by Zumbs · · Score: 5, Informative

    According to wikipedia, in 2015 the US emitted 16.1 tonnes per person while China emitted 7.7 tonnes and the EU 6.9 tonnes. So, compared to the EU and China, the US has quite a lot of catching up to do. The explosive growth of China is a problem, but they are also taking large scale initiatives to do something about it.

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    The truth may be out there, but lies are inside your head
  4. Just say no by Virtucon · · Score: 1, Informative

    No to Agenda 21 and its heirs
    No to Kyoto and its heirs, specifically the PCA.

    None of these "international agreements" have ever been ratified by the Senate and are therefore not binding on the US or its citizens.
    Any programs of dollars spent towards any of these things that were "nodded" to by previous administrations needs to be stopped immediately.

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    Harrison's Postulate - "For every action there is an equal and opposite criticism"
  5. Re:Why NASA? by religionofpeas · · Score: 5, Informative

    NOAA was not monitoring the same thing that NASA was doing. You would have a point if the NASA CMS program was moved to NOAA, keeping the same funding, but it's been completely cancelled with nothing to replace it.