Andrew Johnson reports on the shutdown of a major U.S. research centre by the Trump administration and why experts in Canada suggest scientists might go north. <\/p>\n
Canadian climate experts say the dismantling of a major U.S. research centre could drive some of the world\u2019s top climate scientists north of the border, reshaping where critical weather and climate research is done.<\/p>\n
The U.S. National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) in Colorado is being shut down by the Trump administration, which has accused the lab of being \u201cone of the largest sources of climate alarmism in the country.\u201d<\/p>\n
More than 800 people work at NCAR, which is widely regarded as a cornerstone of climate and weather research. The centre plays a key role in forecasting severe weather and improving responses to natural disasters and is managed by a non-profit consortium of more than 130 colleges and universities.<\/p>\n
The move has sparked alarm among Canadian researchers, who say the closure boils down to an attack on climate science. <\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re being put at a disadvantage,\u201d said John Clague, a professor emeritus with Simon Fraser University\u2019s Department of Earth Sciences. \u201cAnd this applies not only to Canada, but to really almost every other country in the world. We\u2019re going to be less able to deal with some of the changes we see in climate going down the road and into the future,\u201d Clague said.<\/p>\n
Another Canadian expert, Anna Soer, co-president of the Environmental Studies Association of Canada, said the importance of the Colorado lab extends beyond just climate. <\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s about emergency response as well,\u201d said Soer. \u201cThe fact that we lack data in these kinds of times will have repercussions on emergency responses. We need to be prepared in case there is an environmental disaster, we need to be prepared to act, but we also need the data to be able to predict when it will happen.\u201d<\/p>\n
But scientists say the NCAR closure could also create an opportunity for Canada. <\/p>\n
\u201cMy guess is that some of these folks are going to end up in other countries,\u201d said Clague. \u201cMaybe Canada will welcome some of them, and many of them will end up in Europe.\u201d<\/p>\n