WASHINGTON — The Union of Concerned Scientists Thursday launched its new Center for Science and Democracy to strengthen the role of science in policymaking.
“Science and democracy, when working together, have been one of the great American relationships,” said Kevin Knoblach, president of the Union of Concerned Scientists.
In a launch event at the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in Somerville, Mass., that was simultaneously webcast, Knoblach drew on examples of the founding fathers’ interest in science as evidence of a long history of science’s relationship to governance.
“As students of the Enlightenment, America’s founders were committed to unleashing the power of reason to advance knowledge and to build an effective and responsive government,” according to the center’s website.
In his argument for a system of checks and balances in government, John Adams invoked the principle of mechanical equilibrium, according to the center.
In the 21st century the relationship between science and democracy is currently badly fractured, Knoblach said.
“We know from history, too, that our progress has been stalled when science is disparaged or pushed aside in public deliberations,” he said. “We find ourselves in such a time today.”
Corporate-sponsored misinformation, extreme partisanship and a noisy media landscape have contributed to a distorted presentation of scientific evidence in decision-making, according to the center.
Knoblach and other experts point to climate change as a classic example of a disconnect between science and democracy.
“Media pundits, partisan think tanks, and special interest groups funded by fossil fuel and related industries raise doubts about the truth of global warming,” according to the center’s website.
Information about the dangers of nuclear energy also fall victim to manipulation by powerful interests, according to the center.
By convening forums of experts and policymakers, issuing an annual report and generally promoting a network of science and democracy advocates, the new center aims to more clearly communicate scientific facts surrounding issues like climate change, medical technology and nuclear safety.
Democracy, Knoblach said, adapting a quotation by Carl Sagan, is a tool like science; neither is perfect, but they’re the best we have.