8/12/2019 Pol and Science

1/2

Politics and Science

Politics and science have become entangled on numerous occasions over the past several years.

Conservatives have grown increasingly skeptical of the scientific evidence for human-induced climate

change, even as climate scientists argue that this evidence is incontrovertible. Battles over the teaching

of evolution in the public schools have continued to generate controversy. And most scientists say theybelieve claims that the Bush administration suppressed some research findings by government

scientists.

This issue resonates strongly with scientists, but not with the general public. An overwhelming majority

of scientists say they have heard a lot (55%) or a little (30%) about claims that the Bush administration

did not allow government scientists to report findings that contradicted administration policy. By

contrast, just 10% of the public heard a lot about the claims and 34% heard a little; most say they have

heard nothing at all about it.

About three-quarters of scientists (77%) believe the claims about the Bush administration are true, while

just 6% say they are false. And virtually all of the scientists who say these claims are true71% of

scientists overallbelieve that these practices occurred more often during the Bush administration than

during previous administrations.

Among the public, most of those who heard about the claims about the Bush administration and science

say they are true, but this constitutes a relatively small proportion of the public overall (28%). And just17% of the public says that, compared with previous administrations, the Bush administration more

often prevented government scientists from reporting research findings that conflicted with the

administrations point of view.

Since 2006, AAAS's CEO Dr. Alan I. Leshner has published many op-ed articles discussing how many

people integrate science and religion in their lives. He has opposed the insertion of non-scientific

content, such as creationism or intelligent design, into the scientific curriculum of schools.[5][6][7][8]

In December 2006, the AAAS adopted an official statement on climate change in which they stated, "Thescientific evidence is clear: global climate change caused by human activities is occurring now, and it is a

growing threat to society....The pace of change and the evidence of harm have increased markedly over

the last five years. The time to control greenhouse gas emissions is now."[9]

8/12/2019 Pol and Science

2/2

In February 2007, the AAAS used satellite images to document human rights abuses in Burma.[10] The

next year, AAAS launched the Center for Science Diplomacy to advance both science and the broader

relationships among partner countries, by promoting science diplomacy and international scientific

cooperation.[11]

In his 2008 article [12] about the Experimental Lakes Area, in Kenora District Ontario, Canada, published

in Science, Erik Stokstad described the ELA's "extreme science."[12] The ELA project manipulated whole

lake ecosystem's for forty years, collecting long-term records for climatology, hydrology, and limnology

based on whole-ecosystem experiments that address key issues in water management.[13] The ELA

influenced public policy in water management in Canada, the USA and Europe,[12] but by 2008 was

attempting to convince federal funders to focus on climate change research. The decision to abruptly

defund the ELA was widely condemned by the Canadian and international scientific community.[12][14]

The scientific journal Nature in an article entitled, The Death of Evidence, described the decision as

"disturbing", and said that it "is hard to believe that finance is the true reason" for the closure.[15]

In 2012, AAAS published op-eds,[16] held events on Capitol Hill and released analyses of the U.S. federal

research[17] and development budget to warn that a budget sequestration would pose risks to scientific

progress.[18]