December 5, 2024
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Trump’s selection of NASA is a climate mystery
Jared Isaacman, President-elect Donald Trump’s pick to lead NASA, is a major supporter of human space exploration, but his views on the climate science the agency conducts are unclear.
NASA performs important climate science, including monitoring the Earth’s rising temperatures.
NASA Earth Observatory video by Lauren Dauphin using GEOS data from NASA GSFC’s Global Modeling and Assimilation Office
Climate Wire | President-elect Donald Trump has chosen an experienced commercial astronaut to lead NASA who is a staunch supporter of increased investment in human space exploration.
But Jared Isaacman’s views on climate change, a major research priority for NASA, remain unclear.
The billionaire describes himself as a “moderate who occasionally engages on a variety of issues” and is “firmly entrenched in the centre.” Some of his posts on social media platform X suggest he may support climate action. He also occasionally replies to other posts criticizing commercial space travel on environmental grounds, suggesting that humans can prioritize both space exploration and threats to humans on Earth.
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“[We can]try to solve the mysteries of the universe and improve the climate here at home,” he said in an Aug. 30 post to X. Either way, it’s incredibly short-sighted. ”
However, as far as POLITICO E&E News knows, Isaacman has not publicly commented on his views on climate change in interviews. So given President Trump’s climate change denial and conservative plans to dismantle climate research efforts across federal agencies, some researchers are worried about the future of NASA’s vast Earth science capabilities. I’m holding you.
“It’s clear that he’s a big fan of human spaceflight, and he would fly every day if he could. He understands science, because he packed as much science into his missions as possible. ” said Keith Cowing, a former NASA employee who runs the monitoring site NASAWatch.com. “But when it comes to other things, like climate, I don’t know what his stance is on that.”
Mr. Isaacman did not respond to a direct message to Mr. X asking him to clarify his views on global warming, and the Trump transition team did not respond to requests for comment.
Isaacman’s position on climate change is also unlikely to be “the final arbiter of NASA’s actions,” Cowing said. “That’s going to come from the bigger picture that the Trump administration is putting forth. You know, they’ve expressed doubts that climate change is a priority.”
President Trump has repeatedly questioned the science of human-induced climate change, vowed to withdraw from the Paris climate accord for a second time, and doubled down on his promise to expand fossil fuel development. Climate scientists also fear that President Trump will turn to Project 2025, a 900-page conservative policy plan led by the Heritage Foundation, as a roadmap for federal research priorities.
Project 2025 calls for a major overhaul of some federal science agencies, particularly those focused on climate change. The plan suggests President Trump should dismantle NOAA and calls on the Trump administration to “rebuild” the U.S. Global Change Research Program, which coordinates federal research on climate and the environment. .
The blueprint does not outline specific plans for NASA’s Earth science capabilities. But the magazine argues that “the Biden administration’s climate change fanaticism requires a government-wide rollback.”
Trump distanced himself from Project 2025 during the campaign, but recently named many of the plan’s architects and supporters to his new administration. The announcement has reignited concerns among climate scientists that the Project 2025 blueprint will significantly influence the next administration’s strategy.
President Trump’s announcement of a so-called “Department of Government Efficiency” tasked with downsizing the federal government and cutting costs has also raised concerns that the federal government’s climate science efforts could be in jeopardy.
Deprioritizing NASA’s Earth science capabilities would be a huge blow to climate researchers around the world. NASA’s satellite missions collect critical data on a variety of environmental variables, including global temperatures, sea ice loss, melting glaciers, and global sea level rise. NASA datasets are used for research by researchers around the world.
During President Trump’s first term, climate scientists expressed many similar concerns about the future of NASA’s Earth science efforts. President Trump’s first NASA administrator was Jim Bridenstine, a former U.S. congressman from Oklahoma who had previously questioned the science of man-made global warming. The first Trump administration also called for deep cuts to NASA’s climate program in its budget proposal.
However, Congress rejected these proposed cuts and kept much of the funding for these programs in the annual budget, allowing most of NASA’s Earth science functions to continue unhindered. And in 2018, Bridenstine acknowledged that his views on climate change had evolved.
That means NASA’s climate science program could survive a second Trump administration.
Still, Isaacman’s likely focus on space exploration, and his close relationship with SpaceX founder Elon Musk, suggests that NASA’s future priorities, and its Earth science missions, will be in the spotlight. That raises further questions about whether it could face new competition for funding.
Isaacman founded payment processing company Shift4 Payments and aerospace and defense company Draken International. He made his first foray into space travel in 2021, funding and participating in the world’s first all-civilian astronauts orbiting space. The mission, known as Inspiration 4, launched in September 2021 on a flight operated entirely by SpaceX, orbiting for three days before returning to Earth.
Isaacman made his second space trip earlier this year on the Polaris Dawn mission, another collaboration with SpaceX.
NASA’s current strategy, based on the Artemis program, prioritizes returning humans to the moon in the next few years. But sending a manned spacecraft to Mars has long been a priority for Mr. Musk, and Mr. Trump supports that dream. Isaacman has previously expressed support for sending humans to both the Moon and Mars in the future.
Isaacman’s vision for the Artemis program and his views on future Mars missions could be among the key questions raised during his Senate confirmation hearing, along with his relationship with NASA’s major contractor SpaceX. Highly sexual.
“Americans will walk on the moon and Mars, and life on Earth will be better in doing so,” Isaacman said in a post on X on Wednesday. “It is the honor of a lifetime to serve in this role and work with the extraordinary team at NASA to realize our shared dreams of exploration and discovery.”
Reporter Mark Matthews contributed.
Reprinted from E&E News Published with permission of POLITICO, LLC. Copyright 2024. E&E News provides news that matters to energy and environment professionals.
