Biden Nominates Gavin Schmidt - Director NASA Goddard - As Top Climate Advisor To Space Agency
NASA is elevating one of its top climate scientists to a new role, a move meant to put greater focus at the space agency on studying the causes and consequences of global warming under President Biden. Gavin Schmidt, director of NASA’s Goddard Institute for Space Studies in New York, will serve in the newly created position of senior climate adviser. He is being brought on in an acting capacity until NASA’s incoming administrator, who has yet to be named, makes a permanent appointment.
In an interview Tuesday, Schmidt said his vision for the position is to have “just one person that’s kind of really focused on the climate issues” at the agency. Right now, the agency has high-ranking officials who oversee Earth science research, but their purview encompasses more than just climate change.
The creation of the new high-level climate position is in line with the Biden administration’s plan to marshal all federal agencies into action on climate change. And the choice of Schmidt, one of the nation’s most well-respected and outspoken modelers of how Earth’s atmosphere traps heat, is another sign the Biden administration will argue for aggressive cuts in emissions.
Steve Jurczyk, NASA's acting chief, said in a statement the move “will enable the agency to more effectively align our efforts to help meet the administration’s goals for addressing climate change.” Though more famous for space exploration, NASA has a dual mission that includes studying our home planet. The new adviser will guide NASA's administrator and other top leaders, as well as serve as a resource to other federal officials, according to senior administration officials.
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https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2021/02/03/energy-202-biden-creates-new-climate-adviser-role-nasa/
