How to resist threats to science
Broader forms of activism are needed to protect evidence-based policy
‘What do we want? Evidence-based science. When do we want it? After peer review.’ This droll placard was one of the best at the Stand Up for Science rally in Boston, US, in February, a gathering that drew a modest crowd of hundreds. We can expect a lot more one-liners when thousands join the March for Science in Washington DC on 22 April, an event that will be mirrored by hundreds of satellite marches around the world.
Protest is in the air, and Donald Trump’s presidency is giving scientists plenty to protest about. His administration increasingly seems to prefer ideology over evidence: witness Scott Pruitt, the new head of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), claiming that carbon dioxide is not a primary contributor to global warming. This feeds into a growing sense that science might be losing its privileged place as a respected arbiter of advice to government.