Tell Elected Officials: Stop Playing Politics with Science!
- van: Union Of Concerned Scientists
- ontvanger: U.S. Senate, House of Representatives
Recently, we've been overwhelmed with news about political appointees manipulating, distorting, and suppressing the science on global warming as well as on other issues such as mercury pollution and lead poisoning. Political interference in science has dangerous implications for our health, safety and environment.
In June, we learned that White House chief of staff on the Council on Environmental Quality, Phil Cooney, personally edited and distorted scientific reports, and in doing so significantly downplayed the scientific certainty on global warming. But Mr. Cooney is not a scientist - he's a lawyer who used to work as an oil industry lobbyist. After the New York Times revealed Cooney's involvement in doctoring government reports on behalf of the Bush administration, he left his job and took a position with ExxonMobil, the world's largest oil company and leading critic of global warming science.
Then in July, scientists accused U.S. Representative Joe Barton (R-TX) of harassing and intimidating prominent climate scientists over their findings on global warming.
With the scientific facts and the impacts of global warming clear, doesn't it make you wonder whose interests our government officials are looking out for?
It's time to let our elected officials know we won't tolerate their manipulation of science for political purposes!
In June, we learned that White House chief of staff on the Council on Environmental Quality, Phil Cooney, personally edited and distorted scientific reports, and in doing so significantly downplayed the scientific certainty on global warming. But Mr. Cooney is not a scientist - he's a lawyer who used to work as an oil industry lobbyist. After the New York Times revealed Cooney's involvement in doctoring government reports on behalf of the Bush administration, he left his job and took a position with ExxonMobil, the world's largest oil company and leading critic of global warming science.
Then in July, scientists accused U.S. Representative Joe Barton (R-TX) of harassing and intimidating prominent climate scientists over their findings on global warming.
With the scientific facts and the impacts of global warming clear, doesn't it make you wonder whose interests our government officials are looking out for?
It's time to let our elected officials know we won't tolerate their manipulation of science for political purposes!
Dear [your senator/representative]:
The role of science in our society is to ask questions, to facilitate free and open access to information, to provide facts and evidence that can guide and shape policy, and to contribute to the betterment of society through technological improvements. Scientific discoveries and innovations play a critical role in increasing our nation's living standards, ensuring our national security and improving our families' health and well being. The application of scientific information is essential in guiding public policy decisions.
Yet to be effective, science depends on adherence to fundamental principles in its pursuit and application. These principles include objectivity, the use of rigorous research methods, transparency, and the disclosure of potential biases and real or perceived conflicts of interest.
In order to preserve the core values in science and science-based decision making, our nation's policies should uphold fundamental scientific principles and practices. We call upon you to make a commitment to policies that will support those principles.
These policies should:
- Ensure that scientific and health information and reports provided by the government are based on full and informed assessments of all relevant data, done in an independent manner, free of financial conflicts of interest.
- Ensure that scientists are not pressured to delay, suppress, or alter scientific or medical information that may be in conflict with the administration's political position, and are not penalized if they resist such pressure.
- Ensure that the Federal Advisory Committee Act (FACA) is fully enforced, to make certain that scientific advisory committees are able to provide the highest quality independent scientific advice to the government, without political or ideological bias. Ensure that people who do not have adequate scientific qualifications are not appointed to scientific advisory positions.
- Safeguard against subjecting scientists to ideological or political litmus tests for advisory committees and civil service positions.
- Ensure that the President and Congress get scientific advice as early as possible in the decision-making process, and that this is done in a transparent fashion.
- Ensure that the lack of complete certainty or irrefutable proof does not erode time-honored precautionary approaches to public health and environmental protections.
- The suppression and distortion of scientific information erodes credibility and public trust in government, and may compromise the health and safety of Americans.
Sincerely,
[your name]
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