How would a Joe Biden win impact climate change, space exploration, COVID-19, scientific research priorities, and international research collaborations? For the prestigious journal Nature's news site, science journalists unpack what Biden stands for in the realm of science. The reporters "interviewed current advisers to Biden, advisers who served during Obama's presidency and policy analysts about actions the former vice-president might take in five key science areas if he's elected. (The Biden campaign did not respond to questions from Nature.)" Here are a few bits from the article:
Biden's pandemic plans — which his team has been preparing since March, say sources close to the campaign — promise to ramp up the country's test-and-trace programmes; address racial and ethnic disparities in COVID-19 infection rates and outcomes; and rebuild pandemic-readiness programmes cut by the Trump administration[…]
Biden is now campaigning on the most aggressive climate platform ever advanced by a US presidential nominee in the general election. Addressing the demands of an increasingly vocal liberal base, his US$2-trillion plan calls for massive investments in clean-energy research and development and low-carbon infrastructure, such as public transit and energy-efficient buildings. It also calls for the United States to generate 100% clean electricity by 2035 and to produce "net-zero emissions" by 2050. The question facing Biden and his team, if they win in November, is how to make it happen[…]
[Trump's current science adviser, meteorologist Kelvin] Droegemeier and the Trump administration have focused on, among other things, initiatives in artificial intelligence and quantum science, areas that are seen as necessary to keep the United States competitive with China. If Biden were to win the presidency, those would probably continue to be areas of focus — in part because Congress is interested in them. As a former senator, Biden "will likely look to the Senate for ideas," says Jenny Luray, vice-president of strategy and communications for Research!America in Washington DC. Other potential focuses could include manufacturing technology, public health and health disparities, she says.
"What a Joe Biden presidency would mean for five key science issues" (Nature)
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