IN THE run-up to this week鈥檚 solar eclipse, there was one message so ubiquitous that it was hard to ignore: don鈥檛 look at the sun without eye protection. But as the moon moved across the face of our star, one person nonetheless did just that. It was the president of the United States.
Had Donald Trump somehow managed to miss all the warnings? Or had he just blanked them? The 45th president is notorious for ignoring scientific advice. Only the day before, his administration that aims to help the federal government incorporate climate assessments into its planning.
That comes as little surprise. Trump鈥檚 administration is widely viewed as irredeemably anti-science, prompting responses like April鈥檚 March for Science. But that鈥檚 not strictly correct. Last week it published its first Research and Development Budget Priorities. Its key areas are American military superiority, American security, American prosperity, American energy dominance and American health.
Advertisement
The four-page memo paints science as playing a heroic role in achieving these: it will lead to 鈥渢remendous job creation鈥�, 鈥渄rive the economy鈥� and 鈥渋mprove the quality of American lives鈥�. In short, science has a role in making America great again.
Bombastic it may be, but at least it comes out in clear support of science. Unfortunately, the science appears to belong to a bygone age 鈥� specifically the 1950s, with its thriving military-industrial complex and ambitious space programme (see 鈥�NASA insists it is going to Mars, but it really can鈥檛 afford to鈥�).
Such nostalgia is not entirely unjustified. Whatever you think of the ethics of the military-industrial approach, it delivered.
鈥淭he danger now is that US scientists will settle for being on tap to deliver Trump鈥檚 priorities鈥�
Today, however, the words don鈥檛 match the deeds. Post-war research was showered with money and scientists were considered valuable advisors 鈥� though were expected to be 鈥渙n tap, not on top鈥�, as Winston Churchill supposedly put it. Trump, in contrast, has sought to cut budgets 鈥� even in some of his priority areas 鈥� and has not even appointed a presidential science advisor or a science policy director.
The challenges faced by the world have also changed, and yet the memo largely ignores them. The environment, unsurprisingly, doesn鈥檛 get a mention 鈥� in sharp contrast with Barack Obama鈥檚 for R&D, which included climate change, Earth observation and Arctic science.
The world is gradually adjusting to the US鈥檚 dereliction of its role in many areas. That goes for science, too. The danger is that US scientists will accept being on tap to deliver Trump鈥檚 priorities. In the 1950s, many welcomed their new careers and institutions, and talked up the benefits their research would bring. Few were as vocal about the problems it could detect, or create 鈥� some of them the progenitors of today鈥檚 more intractable troubles.
It took decades for scientists to unify behind the idea that they can be a force for environmental, as well as economic, good. Trump and his like are willing to ignore any amount of evidence to undo that. They must not prevail. 杏吧原创s have rarely been so far from being on top. But they must not settle for being on tap.
This article appeared in print under the headline 鈥淲ilfully blind鈥�