Washington: The United States is set to have a new climate service that would provide Americans with up-to-date forecasts on how global warming will affect them.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Climate Service, modeled loosely on the 140-year-old National Weather Service, would provide forecasts to farmers, regional water managers and businesses affected by changing climate conditions.
The proposal by the Obama administration is essentially a reorganisation of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), and would bring the agency's climate research arm together with its more consumer-oriented services, Washington Post reported.
The effort was announced at a time when skeptics have become increasingly vocal in attacking the credibility of global warming forecasts.
"We currently respond to millions of annual requests for climate information, and we expect those requests to grow exponentially," said NOAA Administrator Jane Lubchenco said.
US Commerce Secretary Gary Locke said that the service would be able to provide advice on such diverse topics as where ski operators might want to refocus their activities in light of changing snowfall patterns and which farm crops will need increased irrigation.
PTI
First Published: Tuesday, February 09, 2010, 21:57