scipol

GeoPolicy: Science in policymaking: Who is responsible?

Maria Rubal Thomsen April 26, 2019

Great Debate, panel in action. Credit: Chloe Hill

Should scientists actively approach policymakers in order to guide their decision-making processes, or is it the policymakers’ responsibility to seek scientific advice? In the first of the Great Debates at this year’s European Geosciences Union General Assembly in Vienna a mixed panel of policymakers and geoscientists tried to answer who should be responsible for making sure that science was used ...[Read More]

GeoPolicy: Horizon Geoscience!

Chloe Hill October 2, 2018

For the last few months the EGU has been working towards both hosting a dinner debate in Brussels, Belgium, and publishing the Horizon 2020 Geoscience Survey Report which was based on a survey conducted within the geoscience community earlier this year. Both of these endeavours were undertaken together with the European Federation of Geologists (EFG) and had similar aims: to enhance collaboration ...[Read More]

Geopolicy: How does scientific uncertainty translate into policy?

Chloe Hill January 26, 2018

Direction and uncertainty. Credit: Elis Alves (distributed via Flickr).

Scientific uncertainty is one of the only things in science that is certain. It’s found in complex modelling systems, in the unpredictability of natural processes and even when there seems to be scientific consensus, a new scientific discovery can recreate ambiguity. But how do policymakers deal with scientific uncertainty when they are making decisions? Policymakers deal with and use scientific u ...[Read More]

GeoPolicy: Reaching out on Twitter – casually engage with policymakers!

Chloe Hill December 22, 2017

Twitter. Credit: tayloright (distributed via tayloright).

Reaching out to policymakers and sharing your research with them can seem like a daunting task! While there are many formal outlets for engaging with policymakers (such as completing questionnaires, contributing to workshops and participating in paring schemes), there are also more casual methods that can be done sporadically and with less effort. One example of this is engaging with policymakers ...[Read More]