Colleton and Shepherd: Next Commerce Secretary Must Understand Climate Change and Weather Risks

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.