As the Biden administration's first year draws to a close, how much progress has been made to restore science-based decisionmaking in the federal government? To fight climate change and promote environmental justice? Or to combat the pandemic? What key work still remains?
In this online report, UCS offers a detailed assessment of what has been accomplished and what pledges remain unfulfilled so far. We review progress in rehiring government scientists across different federal agencies. We track efforts to roll back initiatives from the previous administration that threatened our environment, exacerbated climate change, and impaired scientific integrity in governmental decisionmaking. And we highlight the most important areas where more work urgently needs to be done.
All told, we offer assessments across nine issue areas: the federal workforce, scientific integrity, environmental justice, the COVID-19 pandemic, democracy reform, climate change, clean transportation, food and agriculture, and nuclear weapons.
On this topic
The Federal Scientific Workforce
Filling Science Leadership Positions
US Climate Actions
Federal Workforce COVID Vaccinations
Funding for US Nuclear Arsenal
Use of the Filibuster
Environmental Justice Actions
Emissions Requirements for New Cars and Trucks
Investments in the US Food System
Citation
MacKinney, Taryn, Jacob Carter, Rachel Cleetus, Dave Cooke, Anita Desikan, Jennifer Knox, Taofik Oladipo, and Karen Perry Stillerman. 2022. One Year of Science Under Biden: Tracking the Administration's Progress and Shortfalls. Cambridge, MA: Union of Concerned Scientists. https://www.ucsusa.org/resources/one-year-science-under-biden
Related resources
Hurricanes and Climate Change
Statements on Climate Change from the US National Academy of Sciences
UCS: What We Do
