cmooney | December 23, 2008Well here we go....dutifully linking Bora, Brian, Isis, Laden...but excuse me, hasn't this debate happened before? And has it resulted in anything other than sound and fury?
Sheril and I have a long discussion of the science journalism/science communication problem in Unscientific America. I don't want to steal our thunder here, but suffice it to say that most of what I'm reading on ScienceBlogs about this subject seems to miss the most important part of the discussion. Which is this: Science journalists are vanishing from the traditional media, along with specialized journalists of many…
sheril | December 22, 2008Forty years ago* on December 24, 1968, Earthrise was captured by astronaut William Anders during Apollo 8--the first manned voyage to the orbit of the Moon. It is a photograph that forever changed the way many humans perceive our place in the universe.
As we celebrate the new year, take a moment to consider our impact on this pale blue dot in the short span of time since then... and just imagine what we may yet accomplish and discover by 2048.
*posted a day early given many readers will be away from the blogosphere tomorrow
sheril | December 22, 2008I go away for a week, and Obama up and acts to restore the role of science advisor to cabinet-level status and does a heck of a lot of good for oceans. On the latter, I cannot imagine a better choice for head of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Ocean scientists everywhere rejoice! I've returned to a new world where the rules have changed and seemingly anything is possible...
I'll have more on Jane Lubchenco's appointment soon, as well as stories and photos from the rainforest, the reefs, and solstice at Arecibo Observatory. There were also a handful of emails in my…
cmooney | December 22, 2008John Tierney, Roger Pielke, Jr., and Chris Horner have the knives out.
Joe Romm and Tim Lambert have begun the defenses.
I find the attacks pretty baseless. But I'd like to hear readers thoughts on all of this, as I may well be writing more about it....
CORRECTION: The Roger Pielke Jr. post is from August. It is not part of a wave of attacks on John Holdren. Sorry about that mistake.
cmooney | December 20, 2008Here's the video from his weekly address:
And the full text can be read here.
There are many gems in here; scientists are going to be beyond ecstatic about this speech, and this team that Obama has named. To me, the newsiest item is that Obama officially says that John Holdren will be "Assistant to the President for Science and Technology." That means the science adviser is being restored to cabinet-level status, as Obama pledged would occur during the campaign.
Another important thing to look for: How soon is Holdren confirmed by the Senate in his role, and officially set to work? I'm…
cmooney | December 19, 2008It seems just days ago that we learned CNN is cutting its science unit, including Miles O'Brien, who took global warming very seriously.
And then last night, a guy who wasn't cut, meteorologist Chad Myers, popped off as follows: "You know, to think that we could affect weather all that much is pretty arrogant...Mother Nature is so big, the world is so big, the oceans are so big - I think we're going to die from a lack of fresh water or we're going to die from ocean acidification before we die from global warming, for sure."
This was part of a Lou Dobbs program that also featured a global…
cmooney | December 18, 2008 That's the word from the Washington Post. Like, wow. Lubchenco is yet another distinguished scientist and ScienceDebate2008 supporter. We are racking them up in this administration. Here's Lubchenco's video:
Chu, Holdren, Lubchenco....we've got a hell of a science administration shaping up here.
P.S.: Joe Romm has huge praise for the John Holdren pick, and says Holdren is even better than Chu in some ways in terms of dealing with the climate issue...but I would ask, why then wasn't he rolled out as part of the energy and environment team? It's not clear to me how much Holdren will focus on…
cmooney | December 18, 2008That's what my friend Eli Kintisch is reporting over at Science's new blog, Science Insider.
It's also something I suggested in a column for Seed last year, where I wrote, "In science policy circles, one also sometimes hears mention of Harvard's John Holdren, former American Association for the Advancement of Science president and an energy and climate expert, as a top science adviser candidate."
If Eli's report is true, this is an awesome choice--and Holdren is yet another ScienceDebate2008 supporter! Here's his video:
cmooney | December 18, 2008I just posted my weekly DeSmogBlog item: It's about the disconnect right now between the infrastructure and stimulus agenda on the one hand, and the global warming and energy agenda on the other. These all need to be synthesized, for the simple reason that you can't rebuild infrastructure unless you're adapting it to climate change.
At the same time, focusing on the impacts of climate change to the transportation sector, to infrastructure more generally, and to separate regions of the country, will help make the issue relevant to citizens. Or as Nick Sundt, communications director for…
cmooney | December 17, 2008In a recession, there's supposed to be an inverse relationship between the economy's performance and graduate school enrollments. The theory is simple: In economic downturns, young people go back to school to shield themselves from the unpredictable labor marketplace and prepare for greater career advancement down the road.
There's just one problem--it doesn't appear to be happening this time around. My latest Science Progress column explores this mystery, which doesn't bode well either for those wishing to become students themselves or for the future of our scientific workforce. As I put it…
cmooney | December 17, 2008In the latest issue of the American Prospect magazine, I've got a lengthy, essay-style review of two recent books on global warming: The Long Thaw: How Humans Are Changing The Next 100,000 Years of Earth's Climate, by David Archer of RealClimate.org and the University of Chicago; and Forecast: The Consequences Of Climate Change, From The Amazon To The Arctic, From Darfur To Napa Valley, by Stephan Faris of the Atlantic.
You can't read the full review sans subscription, but it opens like this:
"Timescale" is a word one hears regularly from climate scientists like the University of Chicago's…
cmooney | December 16, 2008Here's the full video of the president elect's naming of his energy and environment team. Steven Chu's remarks are the most interesting, and to my mind sound like they were probably written by the man himself, at least initially, rather than by some PR manager.
Man, times have changed...
cmooney | December 15, 2008We know who they are. We know they're determined. And we know they're qualified.
But precisely what measures will president-elect Obama's energy and environment team have to take in order to really get a handle on global warming? Will they use the Clean Air Act? A new law? Some combination of both?
And where will they be by the end of 2009, when the nations of the world assemble in Copenhagen, Denmark, to negotiate the successor to the Kyoto Protocol?
I definitely have my thoughts on this--and am doing an article on the subject right now. But here's your chance to sound off (and I'm very…
sheril | December 15, 2008I can't recall the last time I traveled without the laptop (not even here), but we're parting ways for about a week. In the meantime, readers are in more than capable hands as The Intersection's original flies solo once again. And who knows what's in store...
After all, remember what happened when Chris left his computer stateside? ;)
sheril | December 13, 2008It's time. The December Geminid Meteor Shower is upon us--the most satisfying of all the annual meteor displays (yes, even the Perseids). For the best viewing, watch when the constellation Gemini will be rising above the east-northeast horizon.
Last night's full moon may dim this year's display, but even so, try Sunday evening during the interval between twilight and the rise of the waning gibbous moon. (Find the best time at your location here.) You might even catch an 'earthgrazer'--the long, bright 'shooting stars' that streak overhead from just below the horizon and follow a path…
sheril | December 12, 2008Sometimes, the overlords at Seed have good ideas. Scienceblogs for example. The energy blog. Even the new life sciences site.
And other times, they go a bit off the deep end trying to hype up traffic by scaring the bejebus out of readers. Like today. Right now on the Sb homepage related to the latest topic at the life science blog:
What should humanity anticipate from WWIII?
Okay. Now I get bioterrorism is a serious threat. Nearly everyone in my Senate office was on Cipro after anthrax was found in the elevator on our side of the building. But that said, come on... 'WWIII'?
Alarmist…
sheril | December 12, 2008
The auto bailout collapsed in the Senate, failing to pass the $14 billion stopgap measure and possibly dooming GM and Chrysler to bankruptcy.
"It's disappointing that Congress failed to act last night," said White House Deputy Press Secretary Tony Fratto. "We will evaluate our options in light of the breakdown in Congress."
Now what?
cmooney | December 11, 2008I have a DeSmogBlog post further praising the selection of Steven Chu to head the Energy Department. Here's a quote:
A few weeks ago in Los Angeles, I saw Chu speak at a National Academy of Sciences event devoted to connecting science and the entertainment industry. Chu focused on global warming and compared our civilization to the Titanic, about to hit an iceberg unless we wake up and recognize the course we're on. It was a brilliant message, although I can testify that while Chu may be an electrifying choice for Energy Secretary, he is not a very electrifying lecturer.
But far more…