The United States National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has placed new restrictions on scientists that those inside the agency have said could hamper the availability and quality of global weather forecasts.
Current and former high-level scientists with the federal agency said the new rules have created unease and caused alarm with partners at European agencies, reported The Guardian.
“My expectation is that it’s going to be a crackdown on climate,” said a senior NOAA scientist who wished to remain anonymous. “People are just somewhere between disturbed and terrified.”
In October, I reported on Project 2025’s plan to gut NOAA, the National Weather Service, & climate research
Today The Guardian is reporting “DOGE staffers enter NOAA headquarters and incite reports of cuts and threats”
www.nbcnewyork.com/news/nationa…— Chase Cain (@chasecain.bsky.social) February 4, 2025 at 10:51 PM
The new NOAA restrictions, as communicated in a staff-wide message last week, said agency headquarters would implement further oversight over emails and “virtual meetings” of scientists with foreign nationals.
The new rules also require that all employees and NOAA affiliates must document “all international engagements” for approval on a case-by-case basis.
“[I]t’s a crazy amount of stuff to do. Working internationally is so routine, it’s just hardly thought of,” the scientist said. “It’s a difficult time to be a federal employee right now.”
The extra administrative burden looked to be especially taxing for the National Weather Service (NWS), which provides free weather forecasting to the public.
According to a recent study, NWS produces $73 in benefits to the American people for every dollar invested, as well as additional value to the world through free access to public data.
An email sent to NOAA Research on Wednesday said the department would start having to submit all “international engagement” to be approved, including gatherings of international organizations, travel and face-to-face meetings, The Washington Post reported.
“People have asked, ‘What if I have a postdoc [researcher] and they’re not a U.S. citizen?’” a fisheries employee said. “Nobody has an answer for those types of questions.”
A climate scientist with the European Union’s Copernicus Climate Change Service, who also preferred not to be named, said last week’s news “appalled and saddened” him, reported The Guardian.
“The climate crisis knows no boundaries, and halting international scientific collaboration can only undermine our ability to understand and combat it,” the scientist said.
NOAA staff are preparing for more staffing and budgetary cuts that would put extra strain on the agency.
Current employees were told to expect budget cuts of 30 percent and for staff to be cut in half, former NOAA officials disclosed to CBS News.
“Hearing reports that Musk’s cronies are targeting NOAA — infiltrating key systems & locking out career employees,” Chris Van Hollen, Democratic senator from Maryland, posted on X Tuesday. “NOAA is vital for weather forecasting, scientific research & more. Their critical work saves lives. My team and I are looking into this & we will not stand for it.”
A NOAA field command vehicle with a tornado in sight in Wyoming on June 5, 2009. Dr. Mike Coniglio / NOAA NSSL
Congressional aides told CBS that lawmakers had gotten multiple complaints about staff from the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), run by Elon Musk, coming into NOAA offices.
“They walked through security like it didn’t apply to them,” said Andrew Rosenberg, former NOAA deputy director, as CBS News reported. “They were there and they were going through IT systems… They’re not asking substantial questions about what NOAA does and the importance of its role. This isn’t a review to figure out efficiency.”
Policy experts inside Trump’s “inner circle” are looking to privatize the NWS, reported The Guardian. But because it’s so valuable to society, former chief of the NWS weather prediction center’s forecast operations Greg Carbin said the new NOAA restrictions can’t be viewed as strictly cost-saving measures.
“Cutting these services now would be a reckless decision that would cost far more in lives and damages than it would ever save on a balance sheet,” Carbin said. “Investing in weather and climate services is not a cost – it is an essential safeguard for the nation’s security, economy and wellbeing.”
Earlier this month, DOGE put NOAA’s head of human resources on administrative leave. It also initiated a purge of activities associated with equity, diversity and inclusion.
NOAA sources have said that the extra administrative burden, coupled with anticipated budget and staff cuts, in addition to the federal hiring freeze, will interfere with the country’s ability to keep the public weather service functional. It could also cause a restriction of freely available NOAA data abroad, leading to “a profound global impact.”
“Accurate forecasts protect lives, mitigate billions of dollars in disaster-related damages, and enable businesses, from agriculture to transportation, to operate more efficiently,” Carbin said, as The Guardian reported.
Approximately 4,500 scientists and technicians are normally employed by the NWS, but the agency is struggling to keep a full staff.
According to a senior NOAA official, “hundreds” of NOAA staff have accepted the Trump administration’s federal buyout.
“If the proposed cuts to NOAA and NWS are enacted, the consequences will be severe,” Carbin added. “It will lead to less accurate and slower weather forecasts and warnings – putting lives and property at risk.”
The post NOAA Imposes Restrictions on Scientists, Raising Concerns Over Global Forecasting appeared first on EcoWatch.
https://www.ecowatch.com/noaa-scientists-restrictions-forecasting.html
Thoreau wrote in Walden that “Time is but the stream I go a-fishing in,” which reminds us that life is short and nature fills it beautifully. What are you looking for that can’t be found during an afternoon in nature?
Earth911 inspirations. Post them, share your desire to help people think of the planet first, every day. Click the poster to get a larger image.
The post Earth911 Inspiration: Time Is but the Stream appeared first on Earth911.
https://earth911.com/inspire/earth911-inspiration-time-is-but-the-stream/
Green Living
Classic Sustainability In Your Ear: The Ocean River Institute’s Natural Lawn Challenge for Climate Action
Turn back the clock with this classic interview that will get you ready for Spring yard care planning. A lawn may be beautiful but it can take a heavy toll on the environment, accounting for between 30% and 60% of residential water use in the United States. Rob Moir, Ph.D., is president and executive director of the Ocean River Institute in Cambridge, Massachusetts. ORI works with residential lawn owners to heal damaged ecosystems by restoring coastal areas to lessen the destructive impacts of climate change. The benefits of a natural lawn reach far beyond reduced local water pollution, eliminating chemicals that can contribute to cancers, diabetes, Alzheimer’s disease, and other cellular diseases. Natural lawns are also better for local pollinators and store much more carbon than heavily fertilized lawns. If you considered removing your lawn to play a part in the battle against climate change, this interview may change your mind — a healthy lawn is a powerful carbon sink.
The Ocean River Institute is recruiting Massachusetts communities, town by town, to take a pledge to follow natural lawn practices in the Healthy Soils for Climate Restoration Challenge. You don’t need to live in Massachusetts to participate and learn about the alternatives to the traditional, chemical-intensive lawn practices that use Roundup, a source of glyphosates that kills soil-dwelling fungi and local pollinators, and fast-acting nitrogen fertilizers. You can learn more about the Ocean River Institute at www.oceanriver.org.
Rob has contributed many articles about climate change and the history of environmental change since this interview, including:
- Finding a Northwest Passage to the Sea
- Turning the Tide—How Land and Water Shape Our Climate Future
- Learning from Captain Scoresby’s Ten-gallon Fir-Cask
- Earth Savvy?
- Let the Ground Keep Falling Rainwater
- The Sultans of Swag Versus Looking at Clouds from Both Sides Now
- Subscribe to Sustainability in Your Ear on iTunes and Apple Podcasts.
- Follow Sustainability in Your Ear on Spreaker, iHeartRadio, or YouTube
Editor’s Note: This episode originally aired on May 30, 2022.
The post Classic Sustainability In Your Ear: The Ocean River Institute’s Natural Lawn Challenge for Climate Action appeared first on Earth911.
https://earth911.com/podcast/earth911-podcast-the-ocean-river-institutes-natural-lawn-challenge-for-climate-action/
Choosing your perfect gown can be one of the most exciting decisions for your special day, but for the eco fashionista, it can be a challenge to find a dress that fits your values and style — but these brands have exceptional sustainable wedding dresses you’ll swoon over!
Using earth-minded materials like hemp, cruelty-free peace silk, deadstock recycled fabrics and vintage lace, and producing consciously, either in small batches or handcrafting each individual piece made-to-order, the brands below meet high standards for transparency, ecological sustainability, and fair labor.
[For more sustainable wedding dresses, check out this guide to secondhand wedding dress sites!]
Note that the guide contains affiliate links. As always, we only feature brands that meet strict criteria for sustainability we love, that we think you’ll love too!
1. Christy Dawn
Dreamy dress brand Christy Dawn does not disappoint with their romantic bridal collection! Each piece is more swoon-worthy than the next.
Their three sustainable bridal gowns are made from regenerative silk charmeuse —sourced through BOMBYX, an innovative silk producer using best practices — and colored in a beautiful pearl silk with non-toxic dyes. Each dress is ethically cut and sewn by makers in Los Angeles earning living wages, as with the rest of Christy Dawn’s collections.
The Britta Dress and Fitzgerald Dress are 1920s inspired while the Athena Dress is a more modern (but equally romantic) option. All of these dresses are made-to-order with an estimated timeline of 4 weeks.
Conscious Qualities: Regenerative silk and organic non-toxic dyes, ethically made-to-order in Los Angeles
Price Range: $2,500 – $3,000
Size Range: XS – XL
2. Pure Magnolia
Blending the traditional with the modern, Pure Magnolia designs classic-inspired sustainable wedding dresses with contemporary touches. And each dress is made in their Canadian studio by seamstresses earning fair wages from eco-fabrics, such as organic cotton and hemp silk.
The brand sources recycled fabrics whenever possible as well, and recycles their scrap fabric through FABCYCLE.
Conscious Qualities: Eco-friendly fabrics, locally and fairly made, recycles scrap fabrics
Price Range: $845 – $3,300 CAD
Size Range: 0 – 28
3. Lost in Paris
Lost in Paris crafts each of their creatively designed bohemian-inspired gowns ethically in their Sydney, Australia studio. Unconventional yet undeniably striking, Lost in Paris’ dresses are made from vintage lace and cotton.
Investing in a dress from Lost in Paris is seamless — the brand offers at-home sample try-ons, offers train and sleeve adjustments on several styles, ships their dresses worldwide for free, and even accepts returns. Oh, and, if one of their ready-made sizes doesn’t work for you, you can get a dress designed to your measurements.
Conscious Qualities: Made-to-order model, uses vintage lace, locally made
Price Range: $950 – $3900 AUD
Size Range: XXS – XXL + custom sizing options
For More Slow Fashion Content:
4. Wear Your Love
Wear Your Love creates feminine, effortless dresses in their Northern California studio that are — in contrast to the majority of wedding dresses on the market — actually comfortable! The brand’s free-spirited designs are made with soft, earth-minded fabrics like organic cotton and each dress is made to order for each bride to their exact measurements.
There are also customizations available for each eco-friendly wedding dress such as train or no train, skirt or sleeve linings, back coverage, skirt style, and more.
Conscious Qualities: Eco-friendly fabrics, made-to-order model, locally and transparently made
Price Range: $680 – $1,700
Size Range: N/A; dresses are made to your measurements
5. Larimeloom
Based in Reggio Emilia, Italy, Larimeloom crafts exceptional custom-made dresses by hand in their atelier. The brand creates comfortable minimalist dresses from durable natural fabrics and colors them with natural or non-toxic dyes.
Larimeloom has also implemented zero waste design techniques, cutting their patterns strategically in order to minimize fabric waste.
Conscious Qualities: Made-to-order model, zero-waste designs, natural fabrics and dyes
Price Range: 650€ – 2,650€
Size Range: XS – XL
6. Sister Organics
Sourcing quality earth-friendly natural fabrics like organic hemp and cotton, Sister Organics creates classic, eco-friendly wedding dresses for UK-based brides.
Each dress is made to order in England, so you can select a pre-defined size, customize the length of a size, or get an entirely different dress made for your measurements.
Conscious Qualities: Eco-friendly fabrics, made-to-order model
Price Range: £125 – £390
Size Range: XXS – XXL + custom sizing
7. Indiebride London
Indiebride’s vintage-inspired sustainable wedding dresses are delicate and romantic yet free-spirited, offering a unique collection for the bride that wants to skip the conventional wedding gown and choose a piece that fits their individual style.
The brand’s conscious wedding dresses are handmade in London using majority natural fibers and can be altered or customized to your specifications.
Conscious Qualities: Made-to-order model, uses many natural fabrics, locally made
Price Range: £1,200 – £1,700
Size Range: 8 – 16 (UK sizes)
More Resources For Your Eco Wedding:
10 Secondhand Wedding Dress Sites for the Eco Bride
7 Ethical Lab-Grown Diamond Engagement and Wedding Rings
17 Brands with Conscious Dresses (great options for bridesmaid dresses in here!)
The post 7 Best Sustainable Wedding Dresses for Your Special Day appeared first on Conscious Life & Style.
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