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| Policy Roundup |
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| By Jeff DeGrasse | ||
| July 2007 | Science and Society | |
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Rounding up recent events shaping US and global science policy, we begin with the recent 33rd G-8 summit held in Germany in early June. In a positive move for the environment, the Group of Eight formally acknowledged that the earth is warming and, more importantly, that humans are contributing to climate change. However, while recognizing the need to reduce the human impact on the climate, the Summit Declaration falls short of serious action, such as detailed goals and benchmarks to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Instead, more talks are scheduled at the upcoming UN Climate Change Conference and the suggested plan, endorsed by the European Union, Canada, and Japan, to halve emissions by 2050 would be “strongly considered.” However, at home, Bush-appointed NASA Administrator Michael Griffin appeared on NPR on May 31, just prior to the G-8 meeting, and offered that he is “not sure that it is fair to say that [global warming] is a problem we must wrestle with.” But more insidious than Griffin’s comments is the fact that the Administrator quietly removed the phrase “to understand and protect our home planet” from NASA’s mission statement in February 2006. It appears that full US cooperation at forthcoming UN Climate Change Conferences, as well as other environmental initiatives, may have to wait until the next administration. A more recent Bush administration nominee is also stirring up controversy. Dr. James Holsinger has been nominated to hold the post of Surgeon General of the United States—“America’s chief health educator.” Certain to cause a firestorm at his confirmation hearing is Dr. Holsinger’s conclusion that homosexuality may lead to “lacerations, perforations, and deaths,” as noted in his 1991 review to the Committee to Study Homosexuality of the United Methodist Church entitled Pathophysiology of Male Homosexuality. In 2000, Dr. Holsinger co-founded the Hope Springs Community Church, which ministers to people who no longer wish to be gay or lesbian. According to Reverend David Calhoun of Hope Springs, homosexuality is “an issue not of orientation but of lifestyle.” Wrapping up the Roundup is a glimmer of hope from Congress. At the end of April, the US Senate overwhelmingly passed the America COMPETES Act. The act “authorizes grants for the expansion and promotion of math, science, and technology research and development, as well as education programs,” in order to increase our competitiveness in the global economy. In May, a similar bill was passed in the US House of Representatives and since the bill garners wide bipartisan support, it is expected to pass into law without much difficulty. Along with education related initiatives, the Senate bill offers much needed budget increases to the National Science Foundation, National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration, and NASA, among others. Importantly, these budget increases are beyond the recommendations of the Bush administration. For example, the bill authorizes the expansion of the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) “from approximately $703 million in Fiscal Year 2008 to approximately $937 million in Fiscal Year 2011,” which is over $100 million more than the Executive Branch’s proposed budget in 2008.Related Articles: |
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