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Days after the Trump administration announced its intent to dismantle the National Center for Atmospheric Research in Boulder, defenders of the lab are speaking out.
On Tuesday, White House officials labeled NCAR’s Mesa Laboratory as a source of “climate alarmism” and said the federal National Science Foundation will be shutting down NCAR. The Boulder lab monitors weather systems and employs more than 800 people.
This weekend, protesters gathered at South Broadway and Rayleigh Road near the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration building. With the Mesa Lab perched above them in the Boulder foothills, Colorado elected officials denounced the proposed shuttering of NCAR.
“We’re at a moment when climate denialism is at its least credible, because climate change is not something that’s coming — it’s here,” said Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser on Saturday.
United States Sen. John Hickenlooper, who previously pledged to “fight back” against the threats to NCAR in a joint statement with other Colorado representatives, suggested a way for Boulder residents to fight back themselves. He encouraged people to post on social media about Saturday’s protest.
“We’re trying to figure out how to get this uprising into a real rebellion,” Hickenlooper told the crowd. “Speak your mind, and make sure it gets out there.”
The Mesa Laboratory opened in 1967. The National Science Foundation will continue providing infrastructure for weather modeling and space weather research, according to its website, even as the administration plans to fully close the Mesa Lab.
Boulder County Commissioner Marta Loachamin pointed to the past few days of intense wind in the county.
“Right now, we have tens of thousands of residents in our region without power,” Loachamin said Saturday. “We must understand our weather. We must understand science.”
Boulder County District Attorney Michael Dougherty also referenced the local windstorms that affected homes and businesses.
“Shutting down NCAR is a public safety failure by the Trump administration and it should be condemned,” Dougherty said. “In Boulder County, including over the last couple days, we’ve seen how important NCAR is to us.”
U.S. Rep. Joe Neguse, Boulder mayor Aaron Brockett and Longmont mayor Susie Hidalgo-Fahring were also at Saturday’s rally.
Former Nederland Mayor Kristopher Larsen joined the event to speak not only as someone with experience in office but also as a scientist. As Hickenlooper did, Larsen encouraged Boulder County residents to show their support for NCAR online.
“We’re preaching to the choir here; we know the needs of NCAR,” Larsen said. “While we’re in a bastion of support here in Boulder, it needs to go global.”
