Scientists Talk Public Policy

Two Harvard professors and a broadcast journalist explored the impact of uncertainty in science research on public opinion and policy decisions in a panel discussion at the Geological Museum last night.

Moderated by Graduate School of Arts and Sciences Dean Allan M. Brandt, the panel—comprised of Harvard Kennedy School professor Sheila Jasanoff, biological oceanographer James J. McCarthy, and National Public Radio producer Bruce Gellerman—presented varying perspectives on the amount of scientific evidence necessary as backing for laws and regulations. These issues, they noted, arise in fields ranging from HIV and the public blood supply to observations of ongoing climate change.

“The questions before us tonight are among the most important in global science and policy,” Brandt said.

Jasanoff explained to a packed lecture hall of Harvard students, high school students, and community members that science is moving away from pure observation and describing “how it is” and turning toward the more difficult and uncertain challenges that come with predicting “how it will be.”

As an example, McCarthy described public opinion on climate change as “skeptical,” despite the numerous and renowned scientific organizations that have spoken out about the issue.

Gellerman acknowledged that what he views as a fast-paced, financially motivated news cycle has contributed to the public’s misinformed viewpoints on scientific issues. Describing the media as “guilty as charged” for conveying inaccurate or distorted messages, he criticized the “one and a half line stories that encapsulate a life’s work” as insufficient to adequately inform public opinion.

One attendee, who said he was a chemist, Business School graduate, and climate activist, expressed his own concerns about conflicting opinions between scientists and the public.

“What’s wrong with this situation?” he said, referring to dissenting views on the severity of climate change. “Because when you listen to the scientists, we’re headed for big trouble, and when you talk to the people on the street, it’s just another day.”

The discussion continued after the panel at a reception on the third floor of the Geological Museum, where attendees had the chance to speak with the panelists in a more intimate setting.