Scientific Climate Changing as Obama Takes Office

"My administration will value science. We will make decisions based on the facts, and we understand that facts demand bold action," Obama said at the nomination of Nobel Prize-winning physicist Steven Chu, a climate-change technology advocate, as the next secretary of Energy.

Says environmental scientist Donald Kennedy, Stanford University's president-emeritus: "I think we are seeing some really good first steps, appointment of people that the science community takes seriously, people who value science."
...
The most immediate change may be in the White House's attitude toward global warming.

Obama has selected other key advisers who are strong advocates of taking action to address climate change. In addition to Chu, he picked Harvard's John Holdren, a climate and energy expert, to be his science adviser and marine biologist Jane Lubchenco as head of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

Obama has pledged to curb heat-trapping "greenhouse" gases by selling industries limited rights to release emissions, creating a "cap and trade" market. Cap and trade markets, such as the existing European Union Emission Trading Scheme, allow firms to buy and sell emission credits while keeping the total amount of emissions under an upper limit, or cap.

Carolina Snowstorm Brushes Washington, D.C.

Those waiting outdoors for Inauguration Day ceremonies will have to endure conditions much colder than normal through Tuesday. While snow showers skirted the nation's capital Monday, nothing more than a few flurries are forecast for Inauguration Day ceremonies.
...
Those attending the inauguration activities of President-Elect Barack Obama through Tuesday will need to bundle up for the cold weather. It will feel like the temperature is near 10 degrees at times.

Again, according to Weather Underground, it was 70 degrees in DC on Jan. 20 in 1951

Max Temperature ... 70 °F (1951)