Obama's Choice as Chief Science Adviser Nears Senate Confirmation. (February 19. 2009)

John Holdren, US President Barack Obama's choice to be his chief scientific advisor and to head the Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) fronted his Senate conformation hearing last week and when Louisiana Republican David Vitter, interrogated him about his gloomy assessments dating back to 1971 as regarded overpopulation, an unspecified eco-catastrophe, thermonuclear war and global warming, Professor Holdren pointed out he was 26 in 1971, and went on to say that one of the things he has learned since is that predicting the future is "difficult".

He did agree that he no longer thinks it useful to focus on population, but didn't yield any ground on global warming telling Senator Vitter: "I think it is important to call attention to the dangers that society faces."

That was about the extent of any hostile "cross-examination" that Professor Holdren had to face -- confirmation is expected shortly.

Henry Lee, who has co-taught a course with him on energy technology, policy and economics at Harvard's Kennedy School of Government told Nature's Jeff Tollefson, "I think in a matter of months he will be a major intellectual driver in this administration; John is enormously focused and incredibly persuasive".

And Mr Tollefson writes: "As chief of the Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP), Holdren will lead a staff of about 60 that provides technical advice on daily decisions, budgets and the full range of federal policy. In many ways, friends and colleagues say, he has been training for this position his entire career."

Dan Schrag, a geochemist in Harvard's earth and planetary sciences department who knows Holdren well said it might be a while before anybody knows just how effective Holdren is in his new position, but Mr Tollefson points out "it bodes well that he has already secured four deputies (the last administration cut the number down to two), restored the OSTP's place on the security council and negotiated workspace in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building next door to the White House".