Jane Lubchenco Oregon State University Science in a Post-Truth World @JaneLubchenco
Alan Alda the curse of knowledge
My perspectives: academic, government servant, science diplomat
“ Hey, I thought you were a scientist ” “ But…I just understood everything you said! ” Vice President Joe Biden
NOAA Environmental Satellites DSCOVR GOES 16 Suomi NPP
NOAA Environmental Satellites Over 95% of the data that go into weather forecasts come from satellites “Doctor, I don’t need your weather satellites, I have the Weather Channel !” GOES 16 Suomi NPP
Communication trainings
National Academies report & Sackler Colloquia
Perception of scientists Before After White (95%) males (90%) with wild hair (71%) in lab coats (71%) wearing glasses (81%) Miele 2014 ed.fnal.gov
Environmental Scientists: Molecular Biologists: Chicken Little Play God Doom and Gloom!
For some issues, there is a gap between scientific consensus and people’s beliefs Evolution Vaccines Climate Change Tom Dunne
Perception of scientists competent but cold Public credibility is driven by perception of trustworthy- ness, friendliness, expertise, and competence Fiske & Dupree 2014 National Science Board 2016
Science-Society Paradox At the time when science is more relevant and useful to society than ever before, there is a widening gap between the public and science. Boston Globe 2012 ISTOCKPHOTO/HEATHER HOPP-BRUCE/GLOBE STAFF
Oxford English Dictionary - 2016 “ relating to or denoting circumstances in which objective facts are less influential in shaping public opinion than appeals to emotion and personal belief ”
Responses? Marches Contact - Congress Donations Jose Luis Magana – AFP-Getty Images Climate March Apr 29 2017 Running for office Hilary Swift NY Times Science March Apr 22 2017 Jose Luis Magana – AFP-Getty Images Op-eds, LTEs Climate March Apr 29 2017 Talking to journalists Social media Defense & Resistance
Can we resolve the Science-Society Paradox and Address the Post-Truth Mentality? I believe we can rise to this occasion with the boldness, energy and creativity it demands. Offense not just defense!
How can we resolve the Science-Society Paradox and Address the Post-Truth Mentality? We must listen, then address the reasons why a post-truth world has emerged. We cannot do so from lofty perches above society; we must be more integrated into society. In short: We must engage more and more effectively with society. Lubchenco 2017 Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment
How? 1. Demonstrate (not just assert) value of science. - Science needs to be trusted, not seen as wasteful, imperious, threatening, or doom-and-gloom. - Shed entitlement rhetoric. Show merits of science. Make science accessible. Co-generate knowledge with citizens. - Create trust through shared values & experiences. - Show your warm, caring side in engaging. Lubchenco 2017 Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment
How? 2. Provide hope. - Identify & share successes. - Figure out how to replicate and scale them. - Focus on incentives: economic & social - Create more solutions. - Team up with policy-savvy, science-respecting NGOS and businesses with complementary skills and goals Lubchenco 2017 Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment
Beyond pushing back: Push Forward Beyond Doom and Gloom: Over 250 scientists Hope for People and the Planet From 24 countries #EarthOptimism “Hope is rising Share successes like a phoenix April 22, 2017 from the ashes.” Find solutions Nancy Knowlton
The Grand Challenge Can we use the ocean equitably to meet people’s basic needs in an equitable fashion today without using it up? Photos (clockwise): Nila Tanzil, Jose Cabezas/AFP, Gregg/Wikimedia Commons
Hopeful news is bubbling up around the world. Because of engagement 2 examples: fisheries and marine reserves Photo:Enric Sala, Pristine Seas, NGS
U.S. Federal Fisheries 2000 2015 • # Overfished stocks 92 38 • # Rebuilt stocks 0 39 Since 2008, fish caught domestically has risen by 23%, value has risen by 32% and commercial & rec fishing jobs have increased by 35%
Scientists + Politicians + NGOs + Fishermen engaged to Reform Fisheries and Implement Reforms Photo: Corey Arnold
White House: Fishermen as Champions of Change for Sustainable Seafood Jason Brad DeLa Cruz, FL Pettinger, OR Chris Brown, RI
Right-based fisheries + marine reserves in the Philippines • New pilot program to create TURF-reserves in two communities in the Philippines • Result of partnerships between communities, NGOs and academic scientists
To Replicate & Scale Successes, Pay Attention to Incentives Social Economic - Social norms - Personal values Behavior Stuart Price
Potential Impact of Reforms & Secure Fishing Rights Ocean Prosperity Roadmap, 2016 & Costello et al., 2016, PNAS
8 companies in Soneva Dialogue
THE SCIENCE OF MARINE RESERVES SCIENTIFIC SYNTHESES & BOOKLETS U.S. Latin America & Caribbean Europe Mediterranean International
In the last decade: from 0.1% to 1.9% of ocean strongly protected 3.7 1.9 Updated from Lubchenco, Grorud-Colvert 2015 Science
2015 & 2016: large marine reserves announced Palau (83% EEZ), Chile (24.3% EEZ), UK (21.9% EEZ), New Zealand (15.2% EEZ), Seychelles (15%) , US (23.2%) Jochem D. Wijnands Douglas Peebles
Photo: James Watt NOAA President Obama expanded the fraction of the U.S. EEZ that is strongly protected from ~5% in 2008 to ~23% in 2016 (Antiquities Act 1906) Photo: James Watt NOAA
1 st on High Seas: Ross Sea - 2016 MPA = 1.55 m km 2 largest protected area in world 75% is Marine Reserve (1.17 m km 2 ) #2 after Papahānaumokuākea 25 governments Source: CCAMLR
In the ocean: a wealth of scientific advances PLUS engagement of scientists with society is triggering a new era of awareness & action Scientists have risen to the challenge of proposing solutions, not just identifying problems Natural & social scientists are collaborating with each other & with civil society, government & industry to pursue innovative solutions
How do we address the Post-Truth Mentality and Engage Meaningfully with Society ? 1. Demonstrate (not just assert) the value of science. 2. Provide hope. Share successes. Scale them up. Create more solutions to big problems. 3. Modify scientific reward structures and training to achieve these goals. Lubchenco 2017 Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment
How? 3. Modify scientific reward structures and training to achieve these goals. - Academics should be rewarded, not punished, for engaging. Engagement: a core responsibility. - Students should be encouraged, enabled, and trained to engage effectively - Recognize that engaging takes time, resources and skills. Not all should do it; but all should support it. Lubchenco 2017 Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment
It’s time to take back the narrative It’s time to write a new chapter in the relationship between science and society, one based on service with humility, transparency, honesty, and genuine respect . It’s time for a quantum leap in relevance. Photo: aussiedestinationtours.com
Engage with: Humility Transparency Ralph J. Cicerone Honesty Respect
Science = Hope To achieve that promise we must both communicate and engage more effectively https://sites.google.com/site/complexadaptivesystems2011/
We owe it to our children and grandchildren as well as the rest of life on our planet.
Thanks! Jenna Sullivan, Vanessa Constant, Jessie Reimer, Allison K. Barner, Steve Gaines, Chris Costello, Amanda Leland, NOAA, UN FAO, Environmental Defense Fund, Sustainable Fisheries Group at UCSB, Rare, The Nature Conservancy, WWF, Pew Charitable Trusts, Catapult Applications, David and Lucile Packard Foundation, Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, The Sea Around Us Project at UBC, SkyTruth, Oceana, Google, Oregon State University, NSF Photo: aussiedestinationtours.com
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