American Beginnings (IAAS 2009)
The Rebirth of American Science
Dr Cormac O’Raifeartaigh (WIT)
Overview
I
A new agenda for science
Inaugural address, AAS address
II
A new team
A science team for science policy
III
New beginnings: research
Renewables, stem cells, climate change
IV
New beginnings: the environment
Energy supply and climate change
I Inaugural Address (Jan 09)
“ A nation no longer at war”
Leave Iraq, forge peace in Afghanistan
“Economy badly weakened”
Consequence of greed and irresponsibility
“Swift action on economy”
A new era of responsibilty
“Restore science to its rightful place”
Scientific policy based on science not ideology
AAS Address (April 09)
“Restore science to its rightful place”
“Federal policies based on unbiased
scientific information”
“Establish President’s Council of Advisors
on Science and Technology”
“Increase funding for fundamental and
applied research”
““Increase incentives for use of renewable
energies
II A new team
Steven Chu
Secretary of Department of Energy
John Holdren
Assistant to the President for Science and Technology
Director of the White House Office of Science and
Technology Policy
Harold Varmus
Co-Chair of the President’s Council of Advisors on
Science and Technology
Jane Lubchenco
Head of National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association
Steven Chu
Nobel prize in physics 1997
Cooling and trapping of atoms
Professor of physics and molecular biology at Berkeley
Director of the Berkeley National Labortory
The study of biological systems at the single molecule level
Vocal advocate for shift away from fossil fuels
Vocal advocate for research into alternative energy
John Holdren
Assistant to the President for Science and Technology
Director of the White House Office of Science and
Technology Policy
Co-Chair of the President’s Council of Advisors on
Science and Technology
Professor of Environmental Policy at Kennedy School
of Government at Harvard University
Director of the Wood’s Hole Research Centre
Harold Varmus
Co-Chair of the President’s Council of Advisors on
Science and Technology
Nobel prize in medicine (1989)
Discovery of the genetic basis of cancer
Director of the National Institutes of Health
(1993-1999)
President of Slaon-Kettering Cancer Centre NYC
Assistant to the President for Science and Medicine
(Clinton 93-99)
Jane Lubchenco
Head of NOAA
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
Wayne and Gladys Valley Professor of Marine Biology
Distinguished Professor of Zoology.
(University of Oregon)
President of the American Association for the
Advancement of Science (1997)
Biodiversity, climate change, sustainability science
III New beginnings: research
Renewable energy
International research into wind power, tidal
energy, nuclear energy, battery technology
• Bush: reduced grants to renewable energies
• Introduced credits for fossil fuels
• Huge reduction in research into renewable
energy in US
• Obama (2009): increased grants for research
• Swift increase in research since December
“solar cells cheap as paint”
John Marburger
III New beginnings: research
Biofuels
• International research into biofuels
1st generation: inefficient use of food source
2nd, 3rd generation: more efficient
• Bush: 1st generation biofuels only
• Used food resource
• Caused food shortages
• Obama (2009): increased grants for 2nd , 3rd
gen biofuels
• Increase in research
• Increase in production
switchgrass
III New beginnings: research
Stem cells
International research shows embryonic stem
cells beneficial for Parkinson’s, Alzheimers
• Bush (2001): bans government funding of
embryonic stem cells research
• Huge reduction in stem cell research (US)
• Obama (2009): reverses directive (65% support)
• Increase in embyonic stem cell research
III New beginnings: research
Doubles the budget of
National Science Foundation
National Institute of Standards and Technology
Department of Energy’s Office of Science
Permanent tax credits for research
New budgets for renewable energy research
Apollo-era development: 150 billion 10yr
Advanced Research Projects Agency
Triples NSF graduate research fellowships
Recovery and Reinvestment Act
3% of GDP on R&D
Recovery and Reinvestment Act
3 billion to the National Science Foundation
$2 billion to the United States Department of Energy
$1.3 billion for university research facilities
$1 billion to NASA
$600 million to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration (NOAA)
$230 million for NOAA operations, research and facilities
$580 million to the National Institute of Standards and
Technology
$140 million to the United States Geological Survey
IV New beginnings: the environment
• $59 billion in renewable energy investments
included in the $787 billion stimulus package
• $150 billion for clean energy over the next 10 years
Double capacity for renewable energy
• economic recovery depends on "green" jobs
work created by renewable energy projects
• proposed cap-and-trade system
charge companies for emitting carbon dioxide
could raise up to $2 trillion
IV Obama and the environment
• Historic deal in car efficiency standards
• 40% increase in car efficiency
decrease in consumption and emissions
• From 25 to 35 mpg by 2016
• Agreed with major manufacturers
Part of GM/Ford bailout
IV New beginnings: climate change
• Obama: annual targets to reduce US emissions
Back to 1990 levels by 2020
• Further reduction by 80% by 2050
• Bush; did not curb US emissions
Declined to sign Koyoto protocol
Refused to take leadership
• Copenhagen treaty in 2009
U.N. climate head: "happy" with Obama's
willingness to lead
Science and US politics
Democrat science
• Carter, Clinton, Gore, Obama
• policy based on science
Republican science
• Reagan, Bush, Cheney
• ideology ignored scientific findings
• set US science back
• isolated US position
(Kyoto, renewable energies)
New beginnings:
American science and the world
Obama led by science, not ideology
• progress in research
energy supply, climate change
• progress in environmental action
• acknowledgement of international science
• improved international co-operation
renewables, climate change (Copenhagen)
Further reading: www.realclimate.org
www.irish-times.com
http://coraifeartaigh.wordpress.com