Protecting science from corruption is URGENT and CRUCIAL

A huge number of scientists wrote a powerful statement in 2017 explaining how “Human beings and the natural world are on a collision course.”  They strengthened the statement in 2018 and now 20,000 scientists signed on to this “Warning to Humanity.”  This is yet one more reason why we need honest science to drive public policy.  Read the “Warning to Humanity” article at https://www.ecowatch.com/warning-to-humanity-scientists-2544973158.html?utm_source=EcoWatch+List&utm_campaign=aaad04f9dd-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_49c7d43dc9-aaad04f9dd-85369701

Republicans’ partisan bias against science and reality:  https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2018/3/29/1752981/-Lies-have-a-conservative-bias-Republicans-up-their-war-on-science?detail=emaildkre

The government needs good, honest science in order to devise smart public policy. However, the agencies under Trump have been slashing the numbers of competent scientists, failing to consider the information of those who remain, replacing respected scientists with industry “insiders,” and doing other things that hurt science – and ultimately hurt public policy. See this article:
https://www.motherjones.com/environment/2018/01/report-the-trump-administration-really-has-very-little-use-for-scientists/

Government suppression of honest science reminds me of the troubles Galileo encountered when he promoted his discovery that the earth rotates around the sun, not vice versa, as the “conventional wisdom” of his day taught.  The Catholic Church was especially harsh against Galileo and his honest science.  Now people ridicule the Catholic Church for their rigidity, repression, and hostility toward honest science.  Likewise, now the Trump/Republican anti-science policies are turning the U.S.A. into a backward nation. Don’t they know about Galileo and the Church’s repression of his honest science?  They are making the U.S.A. a laughing-stock and a rogue nation among nations that value honest science.  Here we go again!

Governments’ failure to take strong enough action for the climate is BI-PARTISAN.  While the Republicans are horribly worse, many Democrats are woefully negligent too.  In Washington State, Oregon, and perhaps elsewhere, young people are suing states and/or the federal government because governments have been negligent in failing to protect young people’s futures from climate disruption.  The article at the following link mentions the federal lawsuit, but it is mostly about the state lawsuit:  https://www.ecowatch.com/climate-lawsuit-washington-youth-2536683798.html?utm_source=EcoWatch+List&utm_campaign=9be1dda175-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_49c7d43dc9-9be1dda175-85369701

A good number of non-profit organizations work for honest science — and also work to protect people from abuses by corporations and governments.  A good example is the Center for Science in the Public Interest (www.cspinet.org).  They have been providing advice and advocacy toward a healthier food system since its founding in 1971.  They are a great source of information about those concerns.

Union of Concerned Scientists:  www.ucsusa.org

Federation of American Scientists:  www.fas.org

About GlenAnderson 1498 Articles
Since the late 1960s Glen Anderson has devoted his life to working as a volunteer for peace, nonviolence, social justice, and progressive political issues. He has worked through many existing organizations and started several. Over the years he has worked especially for such wide-ranging goals as making peace with Vietnam, eliminating nuclear weapons, converting from a military economy to a peacetime economy, abolishing the death penalty, promoting nonviolence at all levels throughout society, and helping people organize and strategize for grassroots movements to solve many kinds of problems. He writes, speaks, and conducts training workshops on a wide variety of topics. Since 1987 he has produced and hosted a one-hour cable TV interview program on many kinds of issues. Since 2017 he has blogged at https://parallaxperspectives.org He lives in Lacey near Olympia WA. You can reach him at (360) 491-9093 glen@parallaxperspectives.org