Hasty Energy Review Risks Failing to Win Public Trust
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CORRESPONDENCE NATURE|Vol 440|9 March 2006 Hasty energy review risks government risks reinforcing the mistrust, Earth Observing System of Systems. The controversy and technological failure that open-ocean module of GOOS is designed to failing to win public trust we have seen all too often in recent years. describe and forecast the state of the physical James Tansey ocean in order to help understand and predict SIR — The UK government recently James Martin Institute for Science and Civilization, weather and climate. Its implementation is announced the launch of its second energy Saïd Business School, Park End Street, achieved by pooling the commitments of review in three years. Many have commented Oxford OX1 1HP, UK individual nations, made through their on the substantive issues and technologies; Other signatories of this letter: government agencies, navies and oceano- we wish to draw attention to the limitations David Gee European Environment Agency graphic research institutions, together with of the review process itself. Our concerns Melissa Leach Institute of Development Studies, University of Sussex sponsorship from international agencies. draw on three decades of study of the Jerome Ravetz James Martin Institute for Science and Civilization Not long ago, Naturecalled for enhanced governance of science and technology, and Alister Scott The Knowledge Bridge, East Sussex support for GOOS (“Making sense of the we recognize that, although the review Andrew Stirling Science and Technology Policy Research, world” Nature433,785; 2005). Heeding this encompasses complex issues involving high University of Sussex call requires first and foremost that nations stakes and disputed values, it supports a Bronislaw Szerszynski Centre for the Study of Environmental Change, support the development of a robust limited degree of public engagement. Lancaster University commitments mechanism that can efficiently Three months have been allocated for Tom Wakeford Policy, Ethics and Life Sciences Research Centre, take stock of national efforts and at the same decisions that may have implications for University of Newcastle upon Tyne time increase the resources available for thousands of years. Although there is coordination. GOOS will also need to urgency to this issue, and legislative increase its efforts to reach, and cater for, timetables create potential time constraints, a wider range of contributors and users of the length of the decision-making process Silence isn’t necessarily the system. GOOS welcomes the circulation should be determined by the scope and an admission of guilt challenge. complexity of the problem, and the public Keith Alverson should be given sufficient notice and SIR — The reaction of C. R. McMahon and GOOS Project Office, IOC/UNESCO, resources to respond meaningfully. colleagues (Nature439,392; 2006) to your 1 rue Miollis, 75732 Paris, Cedex 15, France An authoritative and legitimate process News story “Animal-rights group sues over must be open to a range of possible outcomes, ‘disturbing’ work on sea lions” (Nature436, but there is a widespread perception that 315; 2005) — pointing out that much animal the government has made its mind up in handling, such as seal branding, is a necessary Giants of physics found favour of nuclear energy. If the consultation prerequisite to effective conservation — is white-dwarf mass limits is to have integrity and to generate trust, exceptional, because it represents a rare the task of initiating the review should be instance of a voiced scientific opinion on SIR — In his Essay “The death of a star” separated from the tasks of convening and a sensitive topic. (Nature438,1086; 2005) Freeman Dyson implementing it. Furthermore, good review Scientists themselves are often ‘branded’ pays a well-deserved tribute to astrophysicist processes must have the authority that comes by the media, but are ill-equipped to defend Subrahmanyan Chandrasekhar’s lifetime of from participants knowing in advance that themselves, having neither the time nor the work. Your readers may be interested to know their inputs will be taken seriously, and the schooling in this area. Alternatively, they may that Wilhelm Anderson of Tartu University in initiators should be explicit about how the fear intimidation or be obliged not to enter Estonia and Edmund Stoner of the University review’s findings will be used in future the fray by governing bodies. of Leeds in England separately published decision-making processes. Of the various groups involved in animal- white-dwarf mass limits that predated what The explicit context of such an enquiry, rights issues, those taking an accusatory has come to be known as the ‘Chandrasekhar or ‘framing’ as social scientists call it, is itself stance would do well to consider that silence limit’ (S. Chandrasekhar Astrophys. J.74, contentious. Some may question whether is not always an admission of guilt. 81–82; 1931). framing the energy-review process in terms Rory P. Wilson Anderson (Z. Phys.1,851–856; 1929) of climate-change obligations or the security Institute of Environmental Sustainability, made the fundamental conceptual coupling of gas supplies is appropriate. If a process is School of the Environment and Society, of relativity and quantum statistical to be recognized as legitimate, it must engage University of Wales Swansea, Singleton Park, mechanics that leads to a mass limit. participants in the task of choosing the Swansea SA2 8PP, UK And Stoner (Philos. Mag.9,944–963; 1930) appropriate framing. Scenario approaches produced a robust calculation from first like those used by the Intergovernmental principles and calculated the mass limit Panel on Climate Change to think about for a uniform-density star. The Stoner and alternative policies can produce a GOOS can help to keep an Chandrasekhar mass limits differ by 20%, manageable number of distinct, internally eagle eye on the oceans owing to their use of different stellar-density consistent and plausible alternatives. models. But this difference is small, given Critics of earlier consultation efforts have SIR — Your Editorial “Circulation challenge” that the presence of any mass limit at all was focused on whether the methods used were (Nature439,244; 2006) calls for ocean the key breakthrough. representative. We argue that there is no observations to be “sustained for much longer Eric Blackman single correct method: there is strength in periods than foreseen in the six-year RAPID Department of Physics and Astronomy, using an array of tools to address different programme” and “augmented globally”. University of Rochester, Rochester, aspects of the problem and to allow diverse But you do not mention the Global Ocean New York 14627, USA forms of input. We would also urge the Observing System (GOOS; see ioc.unesco. government to recognize that non-specialist org/goos), which already exists specifically Contributions to Correspondence may forms of knowledge, based on people’s to take up this challenge. be submitted to [email protected]. everyday experiences, can provide a valuable GOOS provides an operational structure They should be no longer than 500 words, complement to officially recognized expertise. for sustained global observations comprising and ideally shorter. Published contributions Without substantive public engagement, the the oceanographic component of the Global are edited. 148 ©2006 Nature PublishingGroup.