Obama declares end to Dark Ages: “It’s time we once again put science at the top of our agenda” [View All]

[RedEarth]

via Climate Progress....

Obama declares end to Dark Ages: “It’s time we once again put science at the top of our agenda”
In a landmark radio address today, President-elect Barack Obama announced his powerful science team and the end to Bush’s war on science, saying:

Today, more than ever before, science holds the key to our survival as a planet and our security and prosperity as a nation. It’s time we once again put science at the top of our agenda and worked to restore America’s place as the world leader in science and technology.

Obama again signaled his belief in strong action on global warming — in case that wasn’t incredibly obvious already based on his science picks (see “Obama’s strongest message on climate yet: John Holdren to be named Science Adviser” and “For NOAA head, Obama appoints yet another scientist who gets climate“) or his key technology pick (see “A Nobelist for Energy Secretary who gets both climate and energy efficiency?“) — by unexpectedly repeating a key word in his address:


It’s about listening to what our scientists have to say, even when it’s inconvenient — especially when it’s inconvenient. Because the highest purpose of science is the search for knowledge, truth and a greater understanding of the world around us. That will be my goal as President of the United States — and I could not have a better team to guide me in this work.

Dangerous human-caused global warming may be an inconvenient truth, but it is a scientific truth nonetheless. Politico notes:

Taking a veiled jab at Bush, Obama said the scientific process is about evidence and facts that “are never twisted or obscured by politics or ideology.”


Obama also announced the co-chairs of his Council of Advisors on Science and Technology: Nobel Prize winner Harold Varmus and genomics expert Eric Lander.

Kudos to Obama for offering hope to Americans after eight years of denial and disinformation.

video of address here.......

http://climateprogress.org/2008/12/20/obama-declares-end-to-dark-ages-%e2%80%9cit%e2%80%99s-time-we-once-again-put-science-at-the-top-of-our-agenda/


Obama’s strongest message on climate yet: John Holdren to be named Science Adviser

Science magazine is reporting today that “Strong indications are that President-elect Barack Obama has picked physicist John Holdren to be the president’s science adviser.”

I have known Holdren for over a decade and have discussed energy/climate issues with him many times. He probably has more combined expertise on both climate science and clean energy technology than any other person who could plausibly have been named science adviser. You can see a video of an excellent talk he gave here (along with talks by Chu and me). For a more recent BBC interview, see “The Climate Quote of the Week“.

I would say that if Holdren is named (on Saturday), it is an even stronger signal than the terrific choice of Steven Chu for Energy Secretary that Obama is dead serious about the strongest possible action on global warming. After all, the science adviser works out of the White House and oversees science and technology funding, analysis, and messaging for all federal agencies.

http://climateprogress.org/2008/12/18/obamas-strongest-message-on-climate-yet-john-holdren-to-be-named-science-adviser/