Nancy Colleton, president of the Institute for Global Environmental Strategies (IGES), and Marshall Shepherd, President of the American Meteorological Society, recently penned a very interesting piece calling for a new Secretary of Commerce that understands the risks extreme weather and climate change pose for businesses, and economic security more generally. They state:

Three key qualifications should be: 1) Understanding of the potential impacts of weather and climate change on U.S. business and local economies; 2) Expertise in information management and intelligence; and 3) Proven leadership in change management.

Their recommendations focus on the need for a Commerce Secretary to see the business and risk management value in improvements in environmental (including climate) intelligence:

The kind of earth science and environmental data that NOAA and other federal agencies collect could provide U.S. business as well as government leaders the kind of long-term forecasting and intelligence needed to improve business operations, manage risk, and better guide infrastructure investment.

This is especially important because NOAA, as the authors note, is a part of the Department of Commerce.

The full piece is worth a read.