science policy

Pole to Paris: Communicating climate change in a divided society

Erlend Moster Knudsen August 2, 2019

In today's politically divided landscape, what is the role of science? Climate scientists Daniel Price and Erlend Moster Knudsen established an outreach campaign, Pole to Paris, to break down barriers and create dialogues on climate change. Right photo: London February 15 2019 (27) School Students Strike for Climate Action. Credit: David Holt via Flickr. Left photo: Trump Digs Coal LAGOP GOTVR Dec2016 140. Credit: Tammy Anthony Baker via Flickr

The recent European Parliament election illustrated how divided Europe has become politically and intergenerationally. While the established parties lost their ground, both far-right populistic, anti-EU and liberal, green pro-EU parties grew in popularity among voters1, with the younger generation favoring the latter and the generations above the former2. What role is there for science in this div ...[Read More]

GeoPolicy: What really drives political decision-making?

Chloe Hill July 26, 2019

Credit: Angelocordeschi, Adobe Stock, 2019

On July 17 2019, the EU Commission’s Joint Research Centre (JRC) published a report highlighting how thinking is challenged by today’s information environment and the role of evidence-informed policymaking in a well-functioning democracy. Titled Understanding our political nature, the report was produced with the assistance of 60 international experts in the humanities, behavioural and socia ...[Read More]

GeoPolicy: Preventing mercury leakage from a WWII submarine

Chloe Hill July 5, 2019

U-864 Submarine Wreckage. Credit: NGI - Norges Geotekniske Institutt (distributed via Youtube).

I recently had the opportunity to interview Matthias Kaiser, a professor at Bergen University and, at the time of the interview, Director of the Centre for the Study of the Sciences and the Humanities. He is part of an expert team that has given scientific advice to Norwegian policymakers, highlighting the issues that should be considered when dealing with the U-864 submarine wreckage and its carg ...[Read More]

GeoPolicy: Fake news and populism – a threat to science in Europe

Chloe Hill May 20, 2019

The 2019 EGU General Assembly was a great success. Not only was it the largest in EGU history (with over 16,000 participants, 5,531 oral, 9,432 poster and 1,287 PICO presentations) but it also allowed scientists to connect geoscience and their research with global challenges and potential solutions. One of the highlights of this year’s General Assembly was the high-level session on Science, Politi ...[Read More]