NASA has been working to better understand our home planet from a unique perspective from space since the launch of the first TIROS satellites in the 1960s. Today, with more than two dozen Earth observing satellites and instruments, it is clearer than ever that our planet is an interconnected system.
Local events can have global impacts, and global events affect local communities. Recognizing that the challenges of today and tomorrow require an agency-wide effort, NASA’s Office of the Chief Scientist created an interagency task force and issued “Advancing NASA’s Climate Strategy.”
“The past nine years have been the hottest on record. This is simply an indisputable fact that underscores the need for bold action to protect our planet,” said Administrator Bill Nelson. “NASA’s Climate Strategy is a declaration of our ongoing commitment to lead on climate—and how we intend to do it.
For the first time, the strategy assesses NASA’s climate portfolio across the agency, extending beyond science and exploration efforts to include all NASA mission directorates and facilities.
“The climate system and the Earth are changing, and that’s impacting not only what science we need, but also how we think about our operations and mission safety,” said Kate Calvin, NASA’s chief scientist and senior climate advisor. “This strategy will help NASA integrate our understanding of climate across the agency and into our partnerships to better serve the public.”
The strategy lays out four key priorities for the agency to help mainstream climate across NASA: innovate, inform, inspire and collaborate. The first innovation priority builds on the continuation of NASA’s more than 60 years of Earth science studies not only from space—but also through airborne research, direct measurements, and field campaigns. With new missions coming online in 2023 to monitor air pollution (TEMPO), ground water for improving climate models (SWOT) and increasing storm intensity (TROPICS), NASA’s observations of our planet are at the heart of how we study impacts climate change.
NASA’s innovation efforts also extend to aerospace engineering as NASA strives to advance the development of greener aerospace technologies. Such advances in science and engineering can also lay the groundwork for future innovations as NASA technology and know-how are shared with the world, including collaborations with agencies to develop remote sensing technology, fight wildfires, and develop space-based energy systems that could advance alternative energy sources on Earth. Finally, we are working to ensure the sustainability of NASA facilities and facilities, including reducing the agency’s greenhouse gas emissions and increasing resilience to climate variability and change.
The strategy also sets out our commitment to informing the public and decision-makers around the world. NASA is focused on improving the availability and usability of climate and Earth science information. From coastal cities that want to know more about their changing coastlines, to those in wildfire-prone areas to urban dwellers that want to monitor smog in their neighborhoods, communities around the world can benefit from NASA’s observations and models to help them plan future. . Providing resources that draw on NASA observations and models can help support everyone in preparing for and responding to climate change.
More than just providing information, one of NASA’s goals is always to inspire and educate. As we share our observations of Earth with the world, we also strive to encourage and train the next generation of climate researchers.
Finally, the strategy discusses the key role that partnerships across agencies, institutions and industries play in understanding and responding to climate change. NASA will continue and improve coordination and partnerships with other federal agencies, international entities, and state, local, and tribal governments to provide useful climate information to stakeholders—and to ensure the widest possible applicability of NASA’s climate information and technologies.
“NASA’s decades-long and extensive array of Earth, atmosphere, and solar data has long been one of the foundations of our understanding of climate and the Earth system,” said Karen St. Germain, director of NASA’s Earth Science Division. “By studying Earth as a system—from multiple perspectives and through many different instruments and scientific disciplines—NASA’s integrated approach is key to better understanding our home planet. And understanding it gives us the means to better protect it.”
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