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In the US mid-term elections, the Democrats gained a majority in the lower house, this means they take control of key committees – including the House Science Committee. Over recent years, this once bipartisan committee has been used by Republicans to push a climate change-denying agenda.

Now the Democrats will regain control and the chair elect says she will be reinforcing that climate change is real and doing more to encourage participation in science at a grassroots level particularly with minorities who are currently under represented.

We ask what this and other changes to science administration mean for the future of science under Donald Trump’s presidency. Environmental policies and his generally anti-science attitude are likely to come under greater scrutiny.

We’ll also look at the California fires, which seem to be increasing in frequency. Is this due to climate change or other human intervention or changes in natural processes?

And new research into hurricanes suggests human activity is making them more severe than they would otherwise be. In this case the built environment has become part of the problem, with the density of buildings in cities contributing to increases in wind speeds and a reduction in drainage for floodwaters.

(Picture: Donald Trump. Credit: Getty images)

Presenter: Roland Pease
Producer: Julian Siddle