How Scientists Can Take the Initiative in Schools

correspondence

ESA is monitoring carefully the occurring, Lomborg plainly states that and inspection and review procedures. development of Beagle 2 as its schedule these are indeed serious problems. What We believe that all laboratories without needs to dovetail smoothly with Mars he is criticizing is the habitual exaggeration current permits, and/or not in compliance Express. and white lies that have become the with the requirements above, should be David Southwood common currency of environmentalist required to transfer (under special permit) Director, Scientific Programme, ESA8, 10 Rue advocacy (see the Correspondence by A. or destroy stored bioweapons agents. Mario-Nikis, F-75738 Paris cedex 15, France Trewavas, Nature 414, 581–582; 2001). This scheme would restrict access to It is thus particularly ironic that Pimm bioweapons agents, but would not, in our and Harvey level the supercilious charge view, unduly restrict biodefence-related that Lomborg’s book (“like a bad term research. Research in laboratories without Diversionary tactics in paper”, they say) cites secondary sources. access to bioweapons agents could be environmental debate Lomborg does indeed cite secondary performed using non-pathogenic or sources — to provide examples of the moderately pathogenic species as Sir — The irrelevant observations by exaggerations and distortions made by simulants (for example using Bacillus Stuart Pimm and Jeff Harvey about environmental activists. But to subtilis, B. thuringiensis or B. cereus as Bjørn Lomborg’s book The Skeptical demonstrate the inaccuracy of these simulants for B. anthracis), and/or Environmentalist (Nature 414, 149–50, pronouncements, Lomborg cites primary through collaboration with laboratories 2001) exemplify the unfortunate tendency sources such as UN data and articles in permitted access. of some environmental activists, when peer-reviewed scientific journals. This scheme is more restrictive than challenged with well-founded objections Lomborg’s whole point is that the current official proposals. However, we to the scientific validity of their alarmist refusal of some environmental activists to believe that it represents the minimum claims about the state of the planet, to deal honestly with the data harms the required to provide a real increase in respond with such diversionary tactics as credibility of both environmental science security. The National Institutes of Health counting the number of footnotes cited by and environmentalism. Pimm and Harvey has announced a major funding initiative their critics, disparaging their critics’ in their review appear to have provided a for biodefence research. Without new credentials and misrepresenting their further example in support of this thesis. restrictions, this initiative is likely to views — everything, in short, but dealing Stephen Budiansky increase the number of institutions and honestly with the evidence. Black Sheep Farm, 14605 Chapel Lane, Leesburg, people with access to bioweapons agents, In his book, for example, Lomborg Virginia 20176, USA and with training in production, handling presents a detailed analysis, based on and modification of these agents — and widely accepted United Nations (UN) thus, perversely, to make us less secure. data, to show how the alarmists have been Richard H. Ebright*, Nancy D. Connell† consistently wrong about the global Bioweapon agents: more *Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Waksman Institute, population and food supply. Contrary to Department of Chemistry, Rutgers University, Piscataway, New access means more risk Jersey 08854, USA the predictions of impending catastrophe †Center for Biodefense, Lourenco Center for the Study of by Paul Ehrlich, Lester Brown and Pimm Sir — In the News Review article Emerging and Re-emerging Pathogens, New Jersey Medical himself (who in 1998 told a meeting at the “Bioweapons: Delivering death in the School, Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics, American Museum of Natural History that mail” (Nature 414, 837–838; 2001), you UMDNJ, Newark, New Jersey 07103, USA the world population might reach 40 quote Stanford biophysicist Steven Block billion by the end of the twentieth-first as opposing restrictions on access to century), the data actually show that, over bioweapons agents, endorsing having “a the past four decades, per capita food lot of terrific [biomedical] scientists How scientists can take production has increased substantially, working on the problem” and forecasting the initiative in schools even in the developing world, while “a ‘molecular arms race’ between population growth has slowed so that the bioweapons developers and biodefence Sir — As a schoolteacher, I am in my own world population will level off at about 9 specialists”. way pursuing the agenda of your Opinion billion by mid-century. We believe that increasing the number article “Educating future scientists” (Nature Lomborg shows with devastating effect of institutions and people with access to 414, 1; 2001). I direct a programme, the how the alarmists have been able to bioweapons agents will increase the science research initiative, in which science generate their forecasts only by extrapo- likelihood of their release. We find the idea students aged 16 and above take part in lating from very short-term or local of a government-sponsored, large-scale experimental research, in collaboration negative trends, while disregarding the multi-site “molecular arms race” with universities. They also write for and larger positive trends. Yet, instead of frightening, and likely to lead to disaster. produce a national magazine, N-lighten, discussing this evidence, Pimm and (See also Opinion and News, Nature 414, on contemporary science, and participate Harvey simply attack Lomborg’s 235 and 237–238; 2001.) in a biennial conference to present their credentials by attempting to associate him We recommend a moratorium on new own discoveries and critically appraise with the absurd view that an ever-growing permits for possession or transfer of those of others from schools, universities population could be sustained for the next bioweapons agents until the following and industry. 7 billion years. Lomborg says no such measures are put in place: national or In view of the declining numbers of thing, nor anything like it. regional limits on numbers of laboratories graduates entering careers in science, Similarly, Pimm and Harvey dismiss permitted access to bioweapons agents; I strongly endorse your view that the Lomborg’s detailed, well-founded critique minimal containment requirements (BL- practitioners of science are ideally placed of exaggerated extinction-rate predictions 3); minimal security requirements (video to enthuse students in schools with the with the ugly charge that this is morally surveillance, entry guards, dual-key locks, excitement of modern discoveries and equivalent to denying the Holocaust. Yet personnel screening; requirement that two their implications. far from denying that loss of biodiversity people should be present during any Mo Afzal and other environmental threats are work); inventory-reporting procedures; The King’s School, Canterbury, Kent CT1 2ES, UK