Here at DTE we’ve lived by a long-standing credo that says, “the verdict is still out on science.” Albeit we say it very tongue-in-cheek. In fact, we have over the course of 2-plus years doing this blog, become somewhat science geeks. And how can you not when you spend so much time pouring over scientific research, reports, and observations. So it was to our amusement and gratitude that Carl Pope, executive director of the Sierra Club, pointed out in the recent issue of Sierra magazine that, “respect for scientific integrity appears to be a hallmark of the new [administration].” As reflected by Obama's early appointments: marine biologist and former American Academy for the Advancement of Science president Jane Lubchenco to lead the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Nobel laureate Steven Chu to head the Energy Department, and eminent physicist John Holdren as science adviser, to name a few. Pope makes a point by showing what happens when, “science is brought to bear on environmental issues,” by quoting a passage written by John Holdren with coauthor Peter Gleick in 1981…. 1981!!!

“The most important environmental liability of oil as an energy source is probably not air pollution or oil spills but the chance that war will be waged over access to the world's remaining supplies. The most important environmental liability of coal is not the occupational toll of mining . . . rather it is the threat of global climate change posed by accumulating atmospheric carbon dioxide. . . . The most important environmental liability of nuclear fission is neither the routine nor accidental emissions of radioactivity, but the deliberate misuse of nuclear facilities and materials for acts of terrorism and war.”
John Holdren with coauthor Peter Gleick –

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