We’ve heard the reports of political interference with scientific work before, but I had no idea how widespread it was. More that half those responding to a survey of scientists at the EPA reported they had experienced political interference in their work. To some degree this group may be self-selecting, so here are the numbers from the Union of Concerned Scientists report:
The online questionnaire was sent to 5,419 EPA scientists last summer; 1,586 replied, and of those, 889 reported that they had experienced at least one type of interference within the last five years.
889 scientists at the EPA reporting that science has been abrogated for politics! Interestingly the scientists singled out the Office of Management and Budget at the White House as one of the main sources of interference.
Hu Jia, campaigner for the environment, religious freedom and for the rights of people with HIV and Aids has received a 3.5 year jail sentence. He was convicted of “inciting subversion of state power and the socialist system.”
The US was “dismayed” by the verdict, a spokeswoman for the US embassy in Beijing said, while the European Union called for Mr Hu’s immediate release.
Dismayed enough to boycott the Olympics? No, not that dismayed.
“As for critics’ view that China is trying to increase its efforts to arrest dissidents ahead the Olympic Games, I think all these accusations are unfounded”
He’s somebody I talk to on a regular basis. I’m already consulting with him in terms of these issues, but climate change is real. It is something we have to deal with now, not 10 years from now, not 20 years from now.
The blogosphere was giddy with the news that Archbishop Gianfranco Girotti had named environmental irresponsibility a deadly sin. I know I had visions of telling my catholic friends they were going to hell for not recycling. Unfortunately, environmental irresponsibility is only a “social sin.” Apparently destroying the environment isn’t as bad as being lazy.
