Editorial
A New Respect for Science
Published: December 22, 2008
Though Barack Obama’s cabinet appointments have received the big headlines,
it is worth noting two important sub-cabinet choices. Both are scientists,
committed to using rather than abusing science to address issues like
climate change, and a welcome departure from the many ideologues and
lobbyists that Dick Cheney assembled to advise President Bush on
environmental matters.
The first of these choices is Jane Lubchenco, a marine biologist at
Oregon State University, to run the National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration, a division of the Commerce Department responsible for the
health of the atmosphere and the oceans.
Ms. Lubchenco is an expert on two grave threats to the oceans, both linked
to global warming. One is acidification, which is destroying coral reefs,
the other hypoxia, a condition that robs fish of the oxygen they need to
survive. She has also been a powerful advocate for stronger federal and
international efforts to protect declining fish species.
We are also heartened by Mr. Obama’s choice of John Holdren, a Harvard
physicist, as his science adviser. Mr. Holdren has served as chairman of the
American Association for the Advancement of Science, as has Ms. Lubchenco.
Both have argued strongly and repeatedly for a mandatory limit on greenhouse
gases to avoid catastrophic climate change.
Like Mr. Obama’s earlier appointments — in particular Steven Chu, a Nobel
laureate in physics, to run the Department of Energy — these choices solidly
affirm Mr. Obama’s commitment to aggressively address the challenges of
energy independence and global warming.
The broader point, though, is what they say about his appreciation for the
processes of science. That was not much in evidence in the Bush
administration, some of whose appointees edited and suppressed scientific
documents to serve the administration’s political agenda.
As Ms. Lubchenco observes, identifying a problem is not synonymous with
solving it. But Mr. Obama has at least surrounded himself with serious
scholars of some of the most critical issues of our times.
Copyright: To subscribe or visit go to:
http://www.nytimes.com |