Under its present government, Canada makes no secret about aspiring to be a world leader in coping with climate change. The country punches above its weight in international climate policy discussions. It’s a signatory to the Paris climate accord. And one of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s early actions after he took office last year was to add “climate change” to the name of what’s now the Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC) department.
So it’s no wonder that the country’s climate scientists were surprised and dismayed when funding for large-scale research networks in their field was not included in the 2017 federal budget released in March. The five-year, Can$35 million ($28 million) Climate Change and Atmospheric Research (CCAR) program expires at the end of this year, and the new budget does not provide for its continuation or replacement. At stake are facilities in the Arctic, data continuity, collaborations between academic...
