Translating Science to Policy: Theory vs Reality

Science-Policy Connections: the Good, the Bad and the Ugly?

This presentation will attempt to stimulate more thoughtful consideration of the relationship between science and policy in environmental issue areas. It will critique what we might think of as an idealized notion of “speaking truth to power” by highlighting the inherent uncertainties in complex human-environment interactions and the value judgments that inevitably come into play when communities make decisions about how to best manage risk. Science cannot tell us what to do, but it can help us better understand the risks we face along with the options for managing those risks. We may never be able to isolate science from politics but we can certainly improve the connections.

Submitted by: Frank Alcock, New College of Florida