When working on legislation, policymakers often require scientific evidence or expertise to support their decision-making. Scientific information can help policymakers to identify any unintended consequences of a policy decision and access solutions that they may not have otherwise considered. In many cases, the information that researchers give to policymakers is a summary of a single study that ...[Read More]
Note: Spoilers Ahead! If you haven’t already seen it, go and watch Don’t Look Up – and then come back to this blog to find out what the scientists in the film could have done to better connect and communicate with the policymakers involved! Don’t Look Up gives us a terrifying example of what could happen when policymakers ignore the science. The film tells the story of two astronomers, PhD candida ...[Read More]
Last year, the European Commission’s Joint Research Centre (JRC) published their Science for Policy Handbook that provides advice on how to bring science to the attention of policymakers. The Handbook is divided into 19 Chapters covering different areas of science for policy as well as some of the challenges that scientists face when engaging with policy and potential solutions. This month’s GeoPo ...[Read More]
Earlier this month, the 24th Conference of the Parties (COP24), was held in Katowice, Poland. COPs are held annually and provide world leaders, policy workers, scientists and industry leaders with the opportunity to negotiate and determine how best to tackle climate change and reduce emissions on a global level. With so much at stake, these negotiations can be tense. Some COPs see more action tha ...[Read More]
