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Photo Credit: Doc Searls

Believe it or not, the C.I.A. has begun to aid climate change science. Spy satellites and other classified sensors that constantly orbit our earth are now being utilized, when not spying on terrorists, of course, to collect valuable environmental data that may help scientists better understand the far reaching affects of our changing climate. Images and data, that would otherwise be unattainable, are given to a select group of about 60 scientists, who all have secret clearances, for analysis.  One specific study is focusing on Artic sea ice, where past satellite images are being scrutinized in order to separate long term melting trends from summer melts.

This combined effort between the C.I.A. and environmental scientists is actually not the first of it’s kind. From 1992 to 2001 a scientific body know as Medea, Measurements of Earth Data for Environmental Analysis, advised the Federal Government on environmental surveillance in the hopes that retrieved data could be used for environmental stewardship. However, in the early days of the Bush administration Medea mysteriously (or not) died.

This joint force remains under a dark cloud of secrecy so that U.S. enemies gain no insight into the capabilities of our spy satellites and sensors and the program does not take away from standard intelligence gathering. However, there is still some opposition such as from Senator John Barrasso, Republican of Wyoming, who said the C.I.A. should be fighting terrorists, “not spying on sea lions”, but the Director of the C.I.A. Leon Panetta “believes it is crucial to examine the potential national security implications of phenomena such as desertification, rising sea levels and population shifts”.

To learn more check out the full article at the New York Times