As president-elect Donald Trump begins filling in job positions for his upcoming cabinet, 29 research and academic institutions have written a letter urging him to name his senior science adviser wisely.
In the letter, these institutions stressed the need for “science and technology to address major national challenges.” Climate change has been, and continues to be, one of the biggest concerns in the world of science and technology.
The letter read: “As President, you will face a wide range of domestic and international challenges, from protecting national and energy security, to ensuring U.S. economic competitiveness, curing diseased, and responding to natural disasters. These challenges share one thing in common: the need for scientific knowledge and technological expertise to address them successfully.”
The letter refers to Trump’s blatant disregard for climate change and claims that the science doesn’t hold up. For the next president to not believe in something that is scientifically proven with evidence is outrageous. The letter points out that the person named senior science adviser must be “a nationally respected leader with the appropriate engineering, scientific, management and policy skills necessary for this critically important role.”
The science world is screaming for a positive change and it’s clear they are worried for the future under Trump. The current role in the Obama administration is held by John Holdren, a graduate of MIT and Stanford with degrees in aerospace engineering and theoretical plasma physics, according to the Huffington Post.
In recent weeks, Trump has began naming unqualified people to address “some of the most pressing scientific problems of our time, namely climate change,” according to the Huffington Post.
Trump picked Myron Edbell to lead the Environmental Protection Agency. Edbell is a noted climate change denier and has expressed pride when referred to as one of the world’s most reviled “climate criminals.” Edbell believes that even if climate change is real, which it is, there will be “benefits” in places that experience severe winter storms. He also wants to throw out the Clean Power Plan which is an important step in reducing carbon pollution from power plants.
Since Edbell’s position was announced, more than 88,000 people have signed a White House petition calling for his role to be revoked.
“Don’t let a man who denies science in the name of profit lead the nation in environmental protection,” the petition reads.
There are many questions that need to be answered about climate change and what our country is going to do to prevent further damage to the environment. In order to get to the bottom of those questions, Trump needs to understand that climate change is legitimately real and is going to have major effects on the future of the entire world’s population.
Email Laura Schmidt atopinions@cardinalpointsonline.com
