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Are we losing what made America great?
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The Top American Science Questions: 2012
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Innovation |
Climate Change | Research and the Future |
Education |
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| 1. Innovation and the Economy. Science and technology have been responsible for over half of the growth of the U.S. economy since WWII, when the federal government first prioritized peacetime science mobilization. But several recent reports question America’s continued leadership in these vital areas. What policies will best ensure that America remains a world leader in innovation? |
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| For decades, one of the defining features of the American economy has been the innovative and creative spirit of American entrepreneurs and researchers. What is often overlooked, however, is that across our history, an often visionary Federal government has funded and spearheaded initiatives that have expanded private commerce, given birth to countless inventions and new industries, and created tens of millions of jobs. For instance, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency invented the Internet, researchers at NASA have made dozens of breakthroughs, including the computer microchip and CAT scanner technology, and over 80 Nobel Prizes have been awarded for National Institutes of Health supported research.
These innovations have revolutionized the way the world does business, dramatically increasing productivity and creating untold millions of jobs. These are exactly the types of investments we need to continue to make because they form the backbone of an innovative, strong, successful economy. Finally, because much of our private sector R&D comes from manufacturing firms, we need to do more to rebuild our manufacturing base, particularly through programs like President Obama’s proposed National Network for Manufacturing Innovation. |
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| 2. Climate Change. The Earth’s climate is changing and there is concern about the potentially adverse effects of these changes on life on the planet. What is your position on cap-and-trade, carbon taxes, and other policies proposed to address global climate change—and what steps can we take to improve our ability to tackle challenges like climate change that cross national boundaries? |
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| Climate change is a global problem; hence global collaboration is needed to address it. Experiences with the Kyoto Treaty and the various international climate change conventions, however, tell us that formulating and adopting an effective international policy is very difficult.
The only practical approach is for individual nations to move forward together. We need to explore the adoption of universal, international pricing of greenhouse gas emissions. Individually, nations should establish domestic programs and policies that reduce greenhouse gas emissions, especially through the promotion of energy efficiency and cleaner energy technologies. As more nations adopt such policies, other nations will be inclined to do the same. We are seeing some genuine progress in this direction. Shifting towards conservation and renewable technologies will, in the long term, not only help lower the adverse impacts of greenhouse gasses but can make a nation more competitive in the World economy. Here in the U.S., our energy programs and policies are leading to increasing contributions from windpower, biofuels, natural gas, in addition to significant advances in energy efficiency in all sectors, and these are contributing to significant greenhouse gas reductions but, I believe those efforts could be significantly increased. |
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| 3. Research and the Future. Federally funded research has helped to produce America’s major postwar economies and to ensure our national security, but today the UK, Singapore, China, and Korea are making competitive investments in research. Given that the next Congress will face spending constraints, what priority would you give to investment in research in your upcoming budgets? |
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| As the chairman of the Senate appropriations panel that oversees the National Institutes of Health (NIH), I have long championed federal funding for research. Between 1998 and 2003, Sen. Arlen Specter and I led a bipartisan effort to double the NIH budget over five years. Increases of that size are of course no longer possible today, but biomedical research should remain a high priority, not only because of its benefits to human health but also because of its impact on the U.S. economy. A recent study found that NIH research generated $62 billion in economic activity last year. Meanwhile, other countries such as China and Singapore have taken notice and are dramatically boosting their investments in biomedical research. These countries understand that the research of today will lead to the innovations of tomorrow. Although the United States remains the leader in this area, the gap between us and the rest of the world is closing. For the sake of the nation’s health as well our economic future, we simply cannot afford to lose our emphasis on research. | |||
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| 4. Education. Increasingly, the global economy is driven by science, technology, engineering and math, but a recent comparison of 15-year-olds in 65 countries found that average science scores among U.S. students ranked 23rd, while average U.S. math scores ranked 31st. In your view, why have American students fallen behind over the last three decades, and what role should the federal government play to better prepare students of all ages for the science and technology-driven global economy? |
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To address our country’s needs to improve student math and science proficiency, in my October 2011 reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act I, along with Senator Merkley of Oregon, included a bill entitled the Improving Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math Instruction and Student Achievement grants program. This new STEM program will improve student outcomes in math and science by:
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| 5. Energy. Many policymakers and scientists say energy security and sustainability are major problems facing the United States this century. What policies would you support to meet the demand for energy while ensuring an economically and environmentally sustainable future? |
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| Our energy economy is the source of several major problems. Our energy systems are the source of the vast majority of our greenhouse gas emissions as well as a great deal of our air and water pollution. Our dependence on imported energy supplies also makes us vulnerable to disruptions. Finally, we know that the fossil fuel resources that supply the majority of our energy needs are finite. We need to transition our energy economy to one that is significantly more efficient and sustainable. That means continuing and maintaining support for both energy R&D and alternative energy adoption. The recently announced CAFÉ standards coupled with the Renewable Fuel Standard represent the kind of trajectory for beginning such a transition for our highway transportation sector. The drive towards net-zero energy buildings represents a similar trajectory for the buildings sector. The building sector focus needs to include energy efficiency retrofits because of the slow turnover in that sector. The rapid expansion of windpower, the broader adoption of geothermal energy systems, and the rapidly growing adoption of solar power are providing strong inroads toward more sustainable electric power generation. In short, we are starting our move toward a sustainable energy future, and we need to stay the course. | |||
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| 6. Fresh Water. Less than one percent of the world’s water is liquid fresh water, and scientific studies suggest that a majority of U.S. and global fresh water is now at risk because of increasing consumption, evaporation and pollution. What steps, if any, should the federal government take to secure clean, abundant fresh water for all Americans? | |||
| The Clean Water Act, signed into law in 1972, plays a critical role in maintaining the quality of our water resources, and we absolutely must continue its implementation. We must not allow the simplistic calls for decreased regulation to limit the protection of our water resources. This is especially critical in light of our increasing population and economic activities that tend to expand the sources and volumes of potential contaminants. | |||
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| 7. The Internet. The Internet plays a central role in both our economy and our society. What role, if any, should the federal government play in managing the Internet to ensure its robust social, scientific, and economic role? |
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| One of the tremendous strengths of the Internet is that is open and free nature encourages innovation and the proliferation of ideas, information, and commerce. Indeed, the innovations spawned by the Internet have revolutionized the way the world does business, dramatically increasing productivity and creating untold millions of jobs.
As a general matter, I believe that government regulation of the Internet has the potential to stifle the very characteristics that have made the Internet such a tremendous benefit to our country and to our economy. At the same time, I am concerned that, in recent years, some network providers have sought to limit or curtail the content of what viewers can access over their networks. While these practices are often legitimate efforts to manage congestion, some providers have gone too far by using unreasonable management practices to limit customer’s access to lawful content. Such actions make it more difficult for customers to have readily available access to unfiltered information and services, the hallmark of the Internet. In such circumstances, I do support government efforts to protect a free and open Internet. |
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| 8. Science in Public Policy. We live in an era when science and technology affect every aspect of life and society, and so must be included in well-informed public policy decisions. How will you ensure that policy and regulatory decisions are fully informed by the best available scientific and technical information, and that the public is able to evaluate the basis of these policy decisions? |
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| I agree that science and technology are pervasive in our lives and society today, and I am distressed with the ignorance or even denial of critical scientific findings in some instances of policy formulation. The most important answer is better science and technology education at all levels, especially in our schools and through our media. I applaud those scientists who strive to add effective public communication to their professional duties, and those educators who are leading the charge for expanding and improving S&T education at all levels. |
