President Obama’s new science adviser John Holdren has been talking to Nature reporter Jeff Tollefson about his new role. If that interview only left you hungry for more, the rest of the world’s press have also been grilling the man.
Here are some highlights.
Science Magazine has an interview on their ScienceInsider blog, where Holdren “discussed why he thinks the United States doesn’t need new nuclear weapons. He warned of likely delays beyond 2015 in replacing the space shuttle and the possibility that China would launch U.S. astronauts during the interim.”
Holdren also warned that moves in Texas that could undermine the teaching of evolution were a “step backwards”.
AP focuses on the possibility that the Obama administration might look to geo-engineering to solve the climate change problem. “It’s got to be looked at,” Holdren told the news service. “We don’t have the luxury of taking any approach off the table.”
The Washington Post looks at Holdren’s approach to another possible solution to climate change: cap and trade. The paper says Obama may chose to auction some carbon emission permits and give the rest away to industry, a move that might annoy environmental groups who want 100% of permits auctioned.
Holdren told the post that “whether you get to start with [a 100% auction] or get there over a period of time is something that’s being discussed”.