Earth & Sky

Science Debate 2008 garners flood of support

Momentum is building for a citizen-led initiative calling for a science debate among U.S. presidential candidates.

Science Debate 2008 wants to hear the candidates’ views on policy issues ranging from global warming to stem cell research, energy policy to pandemic disease control, data privacy to health care, national defense to ocean management.

Shawn Lawrence Otto: Half of our growth in the American gross domestic product over the last half century has come from science and engineering.

That’s Shawn Lawrence Otto, who is on the steering committee of the proposed debate.

Shawn Lawrence Otto: Most people don’t realize this, but by 2010, 90 percent of all scientists and engineers will live in Asia. So, how are we going to compete in a world economy where science and engineering have created half of our economy? The only answer is to innovate. And the only way we can innovate in this country is by elevating it as a national priority. And that has to come from the President.

Otto spoke of a flood of support for Science Debate 2008, from Nobel laureates, business leaders, politicians, science organizations and citizens. He said the idea for a science debate was sparked by a landmark study in 2005 that found the ability of the U.S. to compete in the world economy is slipping.

Shawn Otto: This is about the future of America. This is a chance to assess the candidates visionary leadership that they’re going to be facing in America in the next ten years. This is about the future of your job and whether you’re going to be able to continue to have a high quality job. This is about the future of your children and the kind of world that they’re going to be moving into as you leave it. This is about the future of the health of your family and whether you’re going to enjoy good health or whether you’re going to see quality health care move further and further out of reach.

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