California’s dream of becoming the first state with a one-stop shop for climate data, the California Climate Information System (CalCIS), has been put on hold due to budget constraints.
As per latimes This collaborative effort between the California Natural Resources Agency and NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory aimed to create an openly accessible repository of climate-related information.
The project’s demise stems from a wider budget crunch facing the state. California is grappling with a staggering $46.8 billion deficit, forcing Governor Newsom to propose a $297.9 billion spending plan that prioritizes essential services over long-term environmental initiatives.
As a result, CalCIS, along with other clean energy and climate programs, fell victim to the budget axe.
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This cutback has drawn criticism from environmental groups. CalCIS, designed to be an open-source platform, promised to empower researchers, policymakers, and even the general public with user-friendly access to critical climate data.
Easy availability of such information is considered essential for tackling climate change. Environmentalists argue that CalCIS would have been a valuable tool for researchers to study climate trends, policymakers to craft data-driven climate action plans, and the public to stay informed about the local environmental impact.
With CalCIS on hold, these efforts take a significant step backward. Calls for reviving the project, either through budgetary revisions or by seeking alternative funding sources, are gaining momentum.