Science & policy? An aquatic scientist’s perspective. Ecojustice Seminar September 20, 2013 (Sustainability Network Offices, Toronto, Ontario)

1. Science & policy?
An aquatic scientist’s perspective
Linda Campbell
Senior Research Fellow in Environmental Science
Ecojustice, Sept 20, 2013
Toronto, Canada

2. Scientists typically do not get involved
with policy & legislation.
As a result, there is a real need for clear
communication of good science…
…in order for the right people to develop
good policy and effective legal structures…
… and for environmental lawyers so they
have good information for their job.
http://evelyntagbo.blogspot.ca/2012/12/a‐
fatal‐gap‐between‐science‐and‐policy.html

3. Canadian successes:
Two freshwater case studies
Mercury science in Canada
(driven by policy makers)
Phosphorus & eutrophication in lakes
(driven by scientists)

4. Mercury: a known toxic
chemical for 1000’s of years
http://masters‐of‐photography.com/images/full/smith/smith_minimata.jpg
W. Eugene Smith
Tomoko Uemura in Her Bath
Minamata, 1972

5. 5

6. Environment Canada CARA
Mercury Science Program
• Actions to reduce
emissions of key air
pollutants.
• Driven by Env. Can.
policy developers.
• Funding of science to
inform policy
recommendations.

7. Ecological risk using fish as
biomonitors
Modelled mercury concentrations
in yellow perch
Modelled mercury concentrations
in walleye
Depew DC Burgess NM & Campbell LM. Environmental Pollution (accepted)

9. Jan 23 2013:
Canada agrees to UN Mercury Treaty
w.unep.org/hazardoussubstances/Mercury/Negotiations/INC5/INC5PressReleases/tabid/106835/Default.aspx

10. Mr Lovenstein; http://www.mrlovenstein.com/comic/354#comic
Intermission
This is why good policy developers and lawyers are needed….

11. Lake Erie is “dead”?
http://www.noaanews.noaa.gov/stories2005/s2427.htmhttp://greatlakeslessons.com/mod/page/view.php?id=158

12. Case study 2: Experimental Lakes Area
(From Science, 2008)

13. How was phosphorus
identified as the culprit
nutrient?
http://www.responsiblepurchasing.org/purchasing_guides/cleaners/social_environ/http://sevenhillslake.com/technical.html

14. What did the
scientists do?
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/earth/scientists‐protest‐lakes.html
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/story/2010/10/15/f‐david‐schindler.html
• Communicate,
communicate,
communicate.
• Communicate again!
• Became advocates.
• Testified at state,
provincial & federal
panels.
• Testified at US court
cases.
• (Many of them became so good at this, they are
still advocating 40 + years later)

15. What did the governments do?
• International Joint Commission: Great Lakes
Water Quality Agreement (GLWQA), 1972,
renewed & amended regularly.
• Canada‐Ontario Agreement regarding the
Great Lakes
• Lakewide Management Plans by all involved
US and Canada agencies (federal, state &
prov).
• Municipality regulations on sewage and runoff
sembassy.gov/news‐events/2012‐news‐and‐events/september‐2012/7‐september‐2012‐united‐states‐and‐canada‐sign‐amended‐great‐lakes‐water‐quality‐agreement.html

16. Did phosphorus reductions work?
Yes.
But….
• Invasive mussels
• Changes in form of
phosphorus
• Increased agriculture
pressures
• Climate change
2011 Algal bloom

17. http://evelyntagbo.blogspot.ca/2012/12/a‐
fatal‐gap‐between‐science‐and‐policy.html
Science & environmental policy
• Good policy demands good
science.
• Communication is key.
• Legislation often driven by
negative situations.
• Environmental law often
difficult due to contradictory
interpretations of science &
impact.
• Need objective science
perspectives.

18. Can be challenging for
scientists to reach out
beyond science
• Incentives limited.
• A lot of work!
• Must find science‐policy nexus, rounding up the
right people at the right time, and follow up.
(good summary by COMPASS linked below).
• Can be very unrewarding especially if scientist
regarded as pushy and intrusive
– (as what happened to the ELA scientists)
– Need the right framework & supportive network.
compassblogs.org/blog/2013/09/16/navigators/;
Smith B. (2013) COMPASS: Navigating the Rules of Scientific Engagement. PLoS Biol 11(4): e1001552. doi:10.1371/journal.pbio.1001552

19. Should scientists get involved?
• Depends on who you ask.
• But research stations closed,
libraries closed, funding shifted
to industrial & business foci.
• So scientists are learning…
• Sept 16 #StandUp4Sci rallies
organized by Evidence for
Democracy in 17 cities across
Canada.
• BUT is protesting an effective
means of influencing policy?
Timeline: http://scienceblogs.com/confessions/2013/05/20/the‐canadian‐war‐on‐science‐a‐long‐unexaggerated‐devastating‐chronological‐indictm
Evidence for Democracy: https://evidencefordemocracy.ca/

20. Lessons learned by scientists
involved in @SaveELA
campaign.
1. “Not only our role but our responsibility as scientists
to advocate for science in the public domain”
2. “some necessary tools were missing from our toolkit.
For example we had to research the democratic
options” for lobbying and media communication.
3. “Effective communication is key to getting a message
to resonate with the public”, including distilling
complex scientific concepts.
4. “We realized that professional connections within the
scientific community was not, by themselves,
adequate for this work.”
5. “We learned to take ownership of past mistakes”
Limnology and Oceanography Bulletin 22(3):76‐78. (I can send a PDF copy by email)

21. Some useful resources:
• Canadian Science Policy Centre:
http://sciencepolicy.ca/
• Science Media Centre of Canada:
http://www.sciencemediacentre.ca/smc/
• Banff Science Communication Workshop (2
week immersive program):
http://www.banffscience.ca/

22. Advocacy v.s. timely policy development?