New Delhi: The Donald Trump administration’s decision to cut funding for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration will not immediately affect India’s weather monitoring and forecasting capabilities but could have an impact in the long term, a senior official said on Tuesday.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) is a US government agency that monitors and predicts changes in climate, weather, oceans and coasts. It shares this data with several countries, including India, helping them improve their forecast accuracy.
Responding to a media query during a press conference, M Ravichandran, secretary in the Union Ministry of Earth Sciences, said India’s forecasting ability would remain unaffected in the short term but there might be consequences later.
“If there is a cut in manpower, we do not have any problem. Even if the model is not there, no problem. The only thing is that they are significantly contributing to the observing system, especially in the ocean — be it the Indian Ocean or the Pacific Ocean. If that is reduced, our forecasting skill will be reduced,” he said.
“As of now, this year, there is no problem… But in the long run, if they reduce NOAA funding and the observation system in the ocean and other things… Then definitely our forecast system will (be impacted),” he added.
The clue for monsoon forecasts comes from the ocean and, if “we do not have proper ocean observations, definitely we will not be able to have better predictability”, Ravichandran said.
According to media reports, the Trump administration plans to cut NOAA’s funding by 27 per cent or around USD 1.67 billion.
Since returning to office, President Trump — a climate change denier — has pulled the US out of the Paris Agreement, scrapped multilateral efforts to help coal-dependent developing countries shift to clean energy, and withdrawn support from a global fund meant to help vulnerable nations deal with climate-related losses and damages.
