Obama Answers Science Questions Posed to Presidential Candidates

By Cheryl Pellerin

If elected president of the United States in November, Barack Obama says he will double basic science research budgets over 10 years, reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 80 percent below 1990 levels by 2050 and reach out to international partners and the private sector to extend NASA's range of Earth and space programs.

Obama recently responded to 14 questions posed to him and Republican presidential candidate John McCain by the grassroots group Science Debate 2008, which says it hopes to make key science issues a larger part of the election.

The questions - on energy policy, national security, economics in a science-driven global economy, climate change, education, health care, ocean health, biosecurity, clean water, space, stem cell research, scientific integrity, genetics and research - were developed from 3,400 questions submitted by more than 38,000 signers of the Science Debate 2008 initiative. Its supporters are calling for a televised debate by the presidential candidates on science issues.

The questionnaire is a joint effort of Science Debate 2008, Scientists and Engineers for America, the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the National Academies (the National Academy of Sciences, National Academy of Engineering, Institute of Medicine and National Research Council), the Council on Competitiveness and others, together representing more than 125 million voters.

"Most of America's major unsolved challenges revolve around these 14 questions," Shawn Otto, chief executive officer of Science Debate 2008, said in a statement. "To move America forward, the next president needs a substantive plan for tackling [the issues] going in, and voters deserve to know what that plan is."

INNOVATION AND CLIMATE CHANGE

Obama said his administration would increase funding for basic research in physical and life sciences, mathematics and engineering at a rate that would double basic research budgets over the next decade.

To spur innovation, he would increase research grants for early-career researchers and increase support for high-risk, high-payoff research at U.S. science agencies. He also would work to guarantee student access to strong science curriculums at all grade levels and provide broadband Internet connections for all citizens to help students bolster their achievement in science, technology, mathematics and engineering.

"There can no longer be any doubt that human activities are influencing the global climate," Obama wrote, "and we must react quickly and effectively."

To address climate change, Obama would implement a market-based cap-and-trade system to reduce carbon dioxide emissions by the amount scientists say is necessary - 80 percent below 1990 level by 2050.

Solutions to climate change, he added, will require contributions from all parts of the world, particularly the world's other major emitters - China, Europe and India.

Obama pledged to work closely with the international community on the issue and re-engage with the U.N. Framework Convention on Climate Change, the main international forum dedicated to addressing the climate change problem.

This includes creating a Global Energy Forum based on the G8+5, which includes all G8 members plus Brazil, China, India, Mexico and South Africa, to focus exclusively on global energy and environmental issues.

TACKLING SCIENCE

Obama said his administration would lift the Bush administration's ban on federal funding of research on embryonic stem cell lines created after August 9, 2001, and ensure that all research on stem cells is conducted ethically and with rigorous oversight.

He also supports genetic engineering of plants and believes plants can continue to be modified safely with new genetic methods and stringent tests for environmental and health effects and by stronger regulatory oversight guided by the best scientific advice.

In response to the 14 questions, Obama said he also would:

. Support the activities and recommendations of the National Institutes of Health's Recombinant DNA Advisory Committee, which provides advice on human gene therapy and ethical concerns about use of recombinant DNA technology.

. Expand research programs on the effect of climate change on oceans and the effect of acidification on marine life that are conducted at NASA, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the National Science Foundation and the U.S. Geological Survey.

. Ensure that the United States ratifies the Law of the Sea Convention, a 1994 agreement supported by 153 parties that seeks to promote international communication, foster peaceful use and conservation of ocean resources and preserve the marine environment.

. Include international partners and engage the private sector to amplify NASA's Earth and space program, and re-establish the National Aeronautics and Space Council, reporting to the president, to oversee and coordinate civilian, military, commercial and national security space activities.

. Establish the nation's first chief technology officer position to ensure that all federal agencies have the right infrastructure, policies and services for the 21st century.

Senator McCain has said he will answer the same set of questions, according to the Science Debate 2008 Web site. America.gov will summarize those answers in a future article.

More information about Science Debate 2008 ( http://www.sciencedebate2008.com/ ) and a list of signers ( http://www.sciencedebate2008.com/www/index.php?id=7 ) are available at the organization's Web site.

Source: U.S. Department of State