Comment Letter on NOAA’s Equitable Climate Service Delivery RFI
In response to a recent request for information (RFI) on improving “equitable climate service delivery” from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), EPIC submitted joint comments and recommendations in partnership with Ristroph Law, Planning, and Research. We believe that expanding and utilizing NOAA’s considerable resources and expertise moving forward is crucial to empowering the many communities increasingly impacted by climate change and long-standing marginalization. Indeed, flooding, toxic waste, wildfires, drought, and heat are all challenges we know to be compounded by the current climate crisis—and our recommendations around improved data and climate services are intended to advance NOAA’s efforts vis-a-vis these communities moving forward. Our goals elaborated in this letter align to NOAA’s, and include:
Making NOAA’s climate services more accessible, understandable, usable, inclusive of the social and economic impacts of climate change
Building capacity and support for users of all disciplines and backgrounds, particularly historically underserved communities and Tribal communities