Tuesday, March 9, 2010

Climate Change: Obama should heed his own words

In light of the recent Climategate scandal - in which climate change scientists suppressed peer-reviewed papers skeptical of global warming - it would behoove the President to heed his own words, specifically something he had said on March 9, 2009, when he signed the Stem Cell Executive Order and Scientific Integrity Presidential Memorandum:
Promoting science isn’t just about providing resources – it is also about protecting free and open inquiry. It is about letting scientists... do their jobs, free from manipulation or coercion, and listening to what they tell us, even when it’s inconvenient – especially when it’s inconvenient. It is about ensuring that scientific data is never distorted or concealed to serve a political agenda – and that we make scientific decisions based on facts, not ideology...

That is why today, I am signing a Presidential Memorandum directing the head of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy to develop a strategy for restoring scientific integrity to government decision making. To ensure that in this new Administration, we base our public policies on the soundest science; that we appoint scientific advisers based on their credentials and experience, not their politics or ideology; and that we are open and honest with the American people about the science behind our decisions.
Sage advice! - If only Obama would abide by these principles.

H/T - a certain Liberal publication

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