Figure 1. Source: NOAA https://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/billions/
A Push for Climate & Extreme Weather Programming in Extension In light of growing climate change impacts, the USDA established seven “Regional Hubs for Risk Adaptation and Mitigation to Climate Change” in 2013 (Charter of the Executive Committee of the Regional Hubs for Risk Adaptation and Mitigation to Climate Change, n.d.). The mission of the USDA Climate Hubs is “to develop and deliver science -based, region-specific information and technologies, with USDA agencies and partners, to agricultural and natural resource managers that enable climate- informed decision-maki ng, and to provide access to assistance to implement those decisions” (Charter of the Executive Committee of the Regional Hubs for Risk Adaptation and Mitigation to Climate Change, n.d.). The hubs are a multi-agency effort (Agricultural Research Service, Forest Service, Natural Resources Conservation Service, and Cooperative Extension System) delivering science-based knowledge and practical information to the public. This information is to be disseminated by coordinating with local and regional partners in Federal and State agencies, universities, NGO’s, private companies, and tribes, to help people adapt to C/EW variability. That same year, NOAA’s National Sea Grant Office partnered with NIFA’s Institute of Bioenergy, Climate, and Environment to hold the first Climate Extension Summit (Summit) on March 13-14, 2012 in Silver Spring, MD. The Summit convened a small group of invited experts from both national networks to devise broad strategies and approaches to better engage the nation on issues concerning climate change and climate variability. The summit participants produced a report titled “The Role of Extension in Climate Adaptation in the United States”
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