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CLIMATEWIRE | President-elect Donald Trump’s pick for NASA administrator is an experienced commercial astronaut who staunchly supports increased investment in human-crewed space exploration.

But Jared Isaacman’s views on climate change — a major NASA research priority — remain unclear.

The billionaire has described himself as a “moderate who occasionally weighs in on various issues” and who is “firmly anchored in the middle.” Some of his posts on the social media platform X suggest he may be supportive of climate action. He has also responded occasionally to other posts criticizing commercial space travel for environmental reasons, suggesting that humans can prioritize both space exploration and threats to humans on Earth.

“[W]e can attempt to unlock the mysteries of the universe and improve the climate here at home,” he said in an Aug. 30 post on X. “Those who see this as a binary choice, where resources must be allocated to one side or the other, are incredibly shortsighted.”

But Isaacman hasn’t publicly commented on his climate change views in interviews, to the knowledge of POLITICO’s E&E News. That leaves some researchers unsure about the future of NASA’s vast Earth science functions, given Trump’s denial of climate change and conservative plans to dismantle climate research initiatives across the federal agencies.

“It’s clear that he’s a big fan of human spaceflight and would go every day if he could. He understands science because he jam-packed as much science as he possibly could into his missions,” said former NASA employee Keith Cowing, who runs the watchdog site NASAWatch.com. “But as far as the other stuff like climate, I don’t know what his stance is on there.”

Isaacman did not respond to a direct message on X asking him to clarify his views on global warming, and the Trump transition team did not respond to a request for comment.

Isaacman’s stance on climate change is also unlikely to be “the final arbiter of what NASA does,” Cowing said. “That will come from the bigger picture that the Trump administration will put forth, and you know they’ve expressed doubts about climate change being a priority.”

Trump has repeatedly questioned the science of human-caused climate change, has vowed to withdraw the U.S. from the Paris Agreement for a second time, and has doubled down on his promise to expand the development of fossil fuels. Climate scientists are also concerned that Trump may turn to Project 2025, a 900-page conservative policy plan spearheaded by the Heritage Foundation, as a road map for federal research priorities.

Project 2025 calls for major overhauls of some federal science agencies, particularly those focused on climate change. The plan suggests that Trump should dismantle NOAA and calls for his administration to “reshape” the U.S. Global Change Research Program, which coordinates federal research on climate and the environment.

The blueprint doesn’t outline specific plans for NASA’s Earth science capabilities. But it asserts that the “Biden Administration’s climate fanaticism will need a whole-of-government unwinding.”

While Trump distanced himself from Project 2025 during his campaign, he recently tapped a number of the plan’s architects and supporters for his new administration. The announcements have rekindled concerns among climate scientists that the Project 2025 blueprint will heavily shape the incoming administration’s strategies.

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