Science, Environment and Stem cells: Obama vs. McCain
In a race for the White House dominated until now by Afghanistan, Iraq and the economy, its now time for science to step into the limelight.
Barack Obama (who is now in pole position according to the surveys) and John McCain will be put under the spotlight by Nature magazine, with an all-encompassing questionnaire on the current hot topics in the worlds of science, environment, energy and research. On the eve of the first presidential debate which, if confirmed, will see the black senator for Illinois and the Vietnam hero go head to head in Mississippi on Friday, the two candidates will be confronted with a series of key questions which will strongly influence the direction taken by the USA after the 4th of November.
Barack Obama has agreed to respond to Nature’s questions, which will dedicate its latest publication to the presidentials, while his Republican rival declined the invitation. The magazine has therefore reached its own conclusions with regard to his stance based on recent interviews and public declarations. Here are the key points.
Scientific Research. “I engage to strengthen the leadership of the USA within the fields of science, technology and innovation and this will be a key priority of my administration” promises Barack Obama, quantifying his commitment in economic terms; to double the budget allocated to basic research during the coming 10 years. Likewise, McCain promises greater funding for science without indicating figures or a timescale. If Obama highlights the importance of research, McCain seems more interested in applied technology. One significant point, according to Nature magazine, is that the republican senators scientific and technological consultants come from the world of politics and industry ( from Carly Fiorina, ex-CEO of Hewlitt-Packard, to James Woolsey, ex-director of the CIA), while Obamas are largely from the academic sphere ( from Harold Varmus of the Sloan-Kettering Cancer Memorial Centre, to Sharon Long of Stanford University).
Darwin and Intelligent Design. “I believe in evolution and I support the strong consensus within the scientific community that evolution is based on science,” upholds Obama. The McCain stance is rather more vague. The topic is one which divides public opinion in the USA and sparks debate: the senator for Arizona says he believes in evolution “but when I watch the sun set over the Grand Canyon I also believe in the presence of God”. His vice Sarah Palin favors the theory of creation, convinced of the need to teach these theories in schools “on the basis of a healthy debate.”
Stem cells. Another hot topic is stem cell research which promises significant breakthroughs for diseases such as Parkinsons and Alzheimers. Obama wants to get rid of the ban imposed by president George W Bush which blocks federal funding to research involving embryonic stem cells. According to the democratic candidate this ban has “tied the hands of our scientists, preventing them from competing with other nations “. McCain voted twice against the ban, put forward by Bush in 2001 and hopes the ethical questions can be avoided through technological advances. However, the position of his feisty running partner Sarah Palin is different in that she is against this type of scientific research.
Nuclear and Emissions. Obama does not rule out the use of nuclear power in place of fossil fuels, but is convinced that, before thinking about a possible expansion, the problem of the safe disposal of radioactive waste must be addressed. McCain is an advocate of nuclear power, having promised to construct 45 new plants by 2030 in order to attain his target of 100 plants. With regard to emissions the two rivals also take fairly different stances: Obama supports an 80 percent reduction of toxic gases by 2050 whereas McCain draws the line at 60 percent.
Space. Space, however, brings the two rivals together, both being favorable to the development of space exploration programmes. Obama shares the objective of sending a human mission to the Moon by 2020, with plans to move on to Mars later. McCains top priority is the potential to “boost national pride and power ” – the republican candidate promises more funding in order to achieve this.
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