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.
https://youtube.com/watch?v=PMlXNrBxM0g
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.