NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine has previously espoused some controversial right wing views on global warming including a denial of human involvement, and on same sex marriage when he said he was basically against. But now in office, he is showing a more conciliatory side. In a “NASA Town Hall meeting” he took written questions from his workforce covering the above and other employee concerns including retirement benefits and NASA’s accounting standards. Some of his selected quotes are on the NASAWatch.com website. And on the key questions Bridenstine is apparently now saying some wise things:
Bridenstine said in response to questions about climate change: ” I do not deny the consensus that climate is changing and that we as humans are heavily contributing to it. CO2 is a greenhouse gas and we are putting huge amounts into the atmosphere.”
With respect to “diversity” and equal opportunities, Bridenstein clearly put it. “There will be no discrimination of basis of gender, race, sexual orientation or identity.”
And as Bridenstine noted that NASA plans to put humans back on the Moon and on Mars he wisely said that if serious risks had to be faced but the reward had to be worthwhile: “If we are going to put a single astronaut at risk we need to be doing something monumental and very important to the US.”
Jim Bridenstine Courtesy: US Congress via wikipedia
Mind you, while Bridenstine’s wisdom is finally coming through, some other Republicans are reported to still be saying foolish things. Well, at least according to NASAWatch, who reports one Republican reporting on others saying that the White Cliffs of Dover are tumbling into the sea and causing sea levels to rise.
By the way, yes – a rock falling into the drink will raise the sea level. But the rise will be infinitesimally small relative to the rise likely to be being caused by global warming.
