The President’s Council of Advisors on Science and
Technology (PCAST) released a letter to President Obama describing six key
components the advisory group believes should be central to the
Administration’s strategy for addressing climate change. The letter, responding
to a request by the President last fall for input, calls for a dual focus on
mitigation and adaptation.
President Obama established the current PCAST in 2010 as an
advisory group of leading scientists and engineers who directly advise the
President and the Executive Office of the President; one of the members serves
as the Assistant to the President for Science and Technology (the Science
Advisor). PCAST’s charter is to advise the President on matters involving
science, technology, and innovation policy, including, but not limited to,
policy that affects science, technology, and innovation, as well as scientific
and technical information that is needed to inform public policy relating to
the economy, energy, environment, public health, national and homeland
security, and other topics.