<
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2024/dec/15/scientists-climate-denial-trump>
"As the world’s largest gathering of Earth and space scientists swarmed a
Washington venue last week, the packed halls have been permeated by an air of
anxiety and even dread over a new Donald Trump presidency that might worsen
what has been a bruising few years for science.
The annual American Geophysical Union (AGU) meeting drew a record 31,000
attendees this year for the unveiling of a slew of new research on everything
from seismology to climate science to heliospheric physics, alongside a
sprawling trade show and bouts of networking as scientists jostle to advance
their work.
As grad students and grizzled researchers huddled around pin-boarded
presentations in a cavernous exhibition space, however, one person dominated
muttered conversations: Trump. The president-elect has called climate science a
“giant scam” and when last in office sought to gut US scientific funding and
sidelined or even punished scientists deemed unfriendly to the interests of the
chemical and fossil fuel industries.
The prospect of an even more ideologically driven Trump administration slashing
budgets and mass-firing federal staff has given America’s scientific community
a sort of collective anxiety attack. “We all feel like we have a target on our
backs,” said one National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration scientist, who
added that agency staff are already seeking to “pivot” by replacing mentions of
the climate crisis with more acceptable terms such as “air quality”.
“My god, it’s so depressing,” said another federal scientist about the incoming
administration. A doctoral candidate, when asked about entering the workforce
under Trump, simply puffed her cheeks and groaned. “If someone offered me a
departmental position now, I’d jump,” said one Nasa researcher. “It’s hard,
particularly for younger people. Hopefully we will survive it all.”"
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
