Interview: Dr. Jane Lubchenco

NOAA Administrator 2009-2013

Dr. Jane Lubchenco served as administrator of NOAA and Under Secretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere from 2009 to 2013. After leaving NOAA, she was the Mimi and Peter Haas Distinguished Visitor in Public Service at Stanford University (March–June 2013). In June 2013, she returned to Oregon State University, where she was on the faculty prior to being invited by then President-Elect Barack Obama to serve on his “science team.” Her many awards include the MacArthur “genius” award in 1993, and more than 15 honorary degrees. In 2002, Discover magazine recognized Lubchenco as one of the 50 most important women in science.

What does NOAA provide to Americans that they might not be aware of?

Dr. Jane Lubchenco: NOAA provides a wide range of services to Americans, from weather forecasts and warnings to fishery management in federal waters, from stewardship of marine mammals and turtles to data and understanding about climate change, from nautical charts to marine sanctuaries to space weather forecasts. NOAA employees work from the bottom of the sea to the surface of the sun. The theme that links all of this together is science. NOAA is a science agency – it uses state-of-theart science to deliver these services and stewardship. It’s an incredible bargain for Americans – all this and much more for less than $5 a day per American!

You were in charge when the Deepwater Horizon disaster occurred. What were the immediate and longer-term impacts of the explosion and spill?

The Deepwater Horizon oil spill disaster had a devastating impact on the people and economies of many communities along the Gulf coast. Scientists are still documenting the full ecological impacts, especially to longer-lives species such as sea turtles, dolphins, and tuna.

Dr. Jane Lubchenko during her tenure as NOAA administrator, 2009-2013.

It has been more than 20 years since you wrote “Entering the century of the environment: A new social contract for science.” Can you explain its message to scientists and do you think it has had the effect you had hoped for?

Just over 20 years ago, I challenged scientists to be more useful to society by doing a better job of sharing their knowledge with citizens. I believe that scientific information should be readily available and understandable to nonscientists so they can use that knowledge to make better decisions. I’ve been gratified to see more and more scientists step up and become what I call bilingual – they are adept at speaking both the language of science and the language of lay people. I’m delighted to see more and more academic scientists coming out of their ivory towers to actively engage with society and seek solutions, not just describe problems. “Citizen science” is now quite popular. In short, over the last two decades, there has been a sea change in scientists’ attitudes toward their roles in society. Science is more relevant than ever before and scientists are more engaged than ever before. Nonetheless, the academic reward structure continues to deter this engagement and communication. I’m hopeful that, too, will change.

NOAA completed the nation’s first National Ocean Policy under your leadership. Why is a National Ocean Policy important?

To be clear, President Obama created the country’s first National Ocean Policy. NOAA participated actively in the planning that led to the policy, and was active in helping to implement it. The policy did three important things: One, it provided an overarching mandate and approach. The mandate: to ensure that the country has healthy, productive, and resilient ocean ecosystems. Only then can we have the full range of benefits we want and need from the ocean – healthy seafood, good jobs, clean beaches, abundant wildlife, vibrant coastal communities, and more. The approach is an inclusive and participatory, science-based ecosystem approach to management and policy. Without an overarching mandate and ecosystem-based approach, ocean management is chaotic, inefficient, and likely to fail. The previous issue-by-issue, sector-by-sector, hodgepodge approach – despite the best of intentions – was leading to depleted and disrupted ocean ecosystems and therefore serious economic losses, increased vulnerability of coastal communities, and loss of wildlife. Two, the policy also provided a mechanism for coordination across the 26 federal departments and offices that have direct or indirect responsibility for ocean health. And three, the policy provided a vehicle for coastal regions to engage in planning and management of the ocean ecosystems off their coasts, supported by federal agencies.

The overarching goal of the first National Ocean Policy was to ensure that we could continue to use the ocean and benefit from its bounty without destroying it. That goal is even more important today.

What do you consider to have been your greatest challenges during your tenure as NOAA administrator?

The biggest challenge was to do justice to the range of NOAA’s important mandates while also implementing some much-needed reforms and also dealing with the disasters that came pouring in over the transom: Deepwater Horizon disaster, the most extreme weather in any four years in U.S. history, a dysfunctional but critical weather satellite construction program, the downturn in the economy, a partisan-heavy, legislation-light Congress, and ClimateGate. Fortunately, the career employees at NOAA were exceptionally dedicated and skilled, the president and many members of Congress were strongly supportive, as were many of NOAA’s local, state, national, and international partners in government, industry, and civil society.

What accomplishments or results are you most proud of that came about during your term as administrator of NOAA?

Returning U.S. federal fisheries to sustainability and profitability; providing stellar climate science and services to help Americans understand what’s happening, why, and what can be done; fixing the weather satellite construction program; helping establish and implement the first National Ocean Policy; modernizing approaches to dealing with and assessing damage from oil spills; improving the language used to warn citizens of pending weather-related disasters; helping jump-start the economy and provide lasting economic and environmental benefit through coastal restoration projects – and much, much more!

What do you consider the greatest environmental challenges facing the nation today and in the future?

Climate change, loss of biodiversity, and disruption of ocean ecosystems all challenge society as never before. But the real threat is the assumption that it’s too disruptive or expensive to transition to more sustainable practices and policies. We have quite viable options, we just need to act.