While Rep Jim Bridenstine, R-Oklahoma continues to enjoy widespread support for his nomination as NASA administrator, from scientists to even Apollo astronaut Buzz Aldrin, that support is not universal. Indeed, efforts seem to be organized to try to derail Bridenstine's appointment based on his skepticism of human-caused climate change, what Julie Kelly once referred to as “climate McCarthyism.”
‘Are you or have you ever been a climate change skeptic?’
The Tampa Bay Times reports that a group of 40 scientists residing in Florida has signed a letter to Sen.
Bill Nelson, a Democrat, and Sen Marco Rubio, a Republican, demanding that Bridenstine be rejected for the administrator of NASA. The letter notes that Bridenstine has no formal science education and no experience running a large agency. The congressman from Oklahoma is not unique in that regard as James Webb and Sean O’Keefe, both nonscientists, were highly successful NASA administrators.
The letter also cites Bridenstine’s climate skepticism as a reason for rejecting him. The sentiment was echoed by the Union of Concerned Scientists, a leftwing organization that has also been noted for its opposition to missile defense and support of unilateral nuclear disarmament. The message being imparted is that Bridenstine’s views on climate change are out of the mainstream and therefore he does not deserve to head a science-oriented government agency like NASA.
How scientific is human-caused climate change
The idea that a scientific consensus exists concerning human-caused climate change has been thrown around in the media so often that it has become an article of almost religious faith. Questioning it has become akin to denying the divinity of Christ in Christian circles,
However, as a piece in Forbes once pointed out, citing a study published in Organizational Studies, about 36 percent of scientists and engineers agree with the climate change orthodoxy that human-caused global warming is real and that something must be done about it immediately.
The opinion of the rest range from believing that the phenomenon is primarily natural to that the effects are minor and not of immediate concern.
The question arises, what are Senators Nelson and Rubio, both of whom have expressed reservations about Bridenstine, prepared to do? Nelson has been dragging his feet concerning the nomination, so it is conceivable that he will play the role of Tailgunner Joe when the congressman finally goes before the committee. He might not be so crass as to ask, “Are you or have you ever been a climate change skeptic?” However, Bridenstine is going to need to have ready answers or else his nomination may be in trouble.
