As the new Administrator at NASA, former Oklahoma Congressman Jim Bridenstine is offering some hope for those wondering whether climate science at NASA was on its way out.
As the publication Science reports, Bridenstine suggests a change is coming and perhaps climate science missions might not be eliminated by the Trump administration.
Bridenstine met with reporters this week at NASA headquarters in Washington, D.C. and re-emphasized his commitment to follow the scientific community’s decadal surveys. They are prepared every 10 years and are meant to guide NASA’s investments.
The most re cent survey was released earlier this year and endorsed NASA’s existing plans including the endangered missions.
“It seems to me that those will be projects that need to be considered in the president’s budget request to fund,” Bridenstine told the reporters.
The administration’s first two budget requests to Congress targeted some of the earth science projects for elimination including a $10 million Carbon Monitoring System research program. Another involved two Earth-facing instruments on the Deep Space Climate Observatory. A third involved three climate-focused missions.
Congress hasn’t been exactly supporting of funding the projects but one House panel recently approved the Carbon Monitoring System.
Bridenstine indicated that maybe his criticism of climate change theories has changed….even if just a little.
As Science reported, Bridenstine has embraced the missions, suggesting he no longer is the critic he once was when he was in the U.S. House representing Oklahoma’s 1st Congressional District.
“I want to be clear. I do believe that carbon dioxide is a greenhouse gas—over 400 parts per million at this point, which is greater volumes than we’ve seen before. And that’s because of human activity.”