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| The '''politicization of science''' is "manipulating science for political gain."<ref name=hoover1></ref> | |||
| The '''politicization of science''' occurs when ], ] or ]s use legal or economic pressure to influence the findings of scientific research which differ from the majority view, or influence the way the research is disseminated, reported or interpreted. Typically these findings have a bearing on ] questions of interest to ], ] or other ]s. | |||
| It occurs when ], ] or ]s use legal or economic pressure to influence the findings of scientific research or the way the it is disseminated, reported or interpreted. Historically, ], ], ] have conducted various campaigns to promote their interests in defiance of ], and in an effort to manipulate ].<ref></ref><ref name=discovery></ref><ref name=AAAS>]</ref><ref name=nejm> George J. Annas, ], Volume 354:2277-2281 May 25, 2006</ref> | |||
| == Overview == | |||
| ==History== | |||
| A common allegation has been that politicians have appointed non-scientists, scientists with ] or otherwise unqualified individuals to positions that influence public policy. However, politicians are not the only group responsible for the politicization of science. ], industry advocates, and religious organizations have all conducted various campaigns to promote their narrow interests by politicizing a particular scientific issue or topic in defiance of ]. | |||
| ===Galileo and the Catholic Church=== | |||
| ==Examples== | |||
| ===Intelligent design=== | |||
| One of the earliest and best known instances of politicization was the issue of the mobility of the earth, a controversy which came to a head in Renaissance times. ] supported the theory of ] that the ]s (including the ]) all revolve around the ], while the politically dominant ] exalted the view of ] that the ] and the planets all revolve around the Earth. After enjoying limited political support for his less provocative astronomical discoveries, Galileo was summoned to Rome, tried, and sentenced to life imprisonment (commuted to "]"). | |||
| A current example is the ] originating with the ], which seeks to "defeat ] ]" represented by the theory of ] in favor of "a science consonant with ] and ] convictions".<ref>The '''''' (PDF file), a 1999 Discovery Institute fundraising pamphlet. Cited in Handley P. ''The Times of Oman'', 7 March 2005.</ref> In contrast to scientific consensus the Discovery Institute portrays ] as a "theory in crisis" with scientists criticizing evolution and that "fairness" and "equal time" requires educating students about the controversy. The scientific community and science education organizations have replied that any controversial aspects of evolution are a matter of religion and politics, not science.<ref name=AAAS> "Some bills seek to discredit evolution by emphasizing so-called "flaws" in the theory of evolution or "disagreements" within the scientific community. Others insist that teachers have absolute freedom within their classrooms and cannot be disciplined for teaching non-scientific "alternatives" to evolution. A number of bills require that students be taught to "critically analyze" evolution or to understand "the controversy." But there is no significant controversy within the scientific community about the validity of the theory of evolution. The current controversy surrounding the teaching of evolution is not a scientific one." | |||
| ]. February 16, 2006 </ref><ref>"That this controversy is one largely manufactured by the proponents of creationism and intelligent design may not matter, and as long as the controversy is taught in classes on current affairs, politics, or religion, and not in science classes, neither scientists nor citizens should be concerned." George J. Annas, ], Volume 354:2277-2281 May 25, 2006</ref> | |||
| Modern historians of science generally view this as a textbook case of political suppression of scientific fact, and in the 20th century the church issue a formal apology and vindication of Galileo. | |||
| ⚫ | ===Food and Drug Administration=== | ||
| ===Wheat production and the Soviet Union=== | |||
| In July 2006 the ] (UCS) released survey results that demonstrate pervasive political influence of science at the ] (FDA).<ref>http://www.ucsusa.org/news/press_release/fda-scientists-pressured.html </ref> Of the 997 FDA scientists who responded to the survey, nearly one fifth (18.4 percent) said that they "have been asked, for non-scientific reasons, to inappropriately exclude or alter technical information or their conclusions in a FDA scientific document." This is the third survey Union of Concerned Scientists has conducted to examine inappropriate interference with science at federal agencies. The Department of Health and Human Services also conducted a survey addressing the same topic which generated similar findings.<ref>http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/2004-12-16-fda-survey-usat_x.htm </ref> | |||
| {{Main|Lysenkoism}} | |||
| ⚫ | === George W. Bush |
||
| ] declared that the ] of ]’s peas and ]’s fruit flies was incorrect and simply a capitalist plot to exploit the peasants and working class. Lysenko believed that only ] determined the performance of plants and that acquired characteristics could be inherited. With his theory that denied the existence of gene-based ], Lysenko promised almost instant improvements in agricultural production. Lysenko’s ] origins helped him to avoid the hatred of the Soviet authorities for the ]. He first became famous in 1928 by claiming that a series of simple steps, within reach of any farmer,produced markedly improved yields of wheat. All that was necessary was "]" - soaking ] seed in the fall, burying it in sacks under the snow, and planting it in the spring like ordinary spring wheat. This was all a ], supported by falsified data and ].<ref name=hoover2></ref> | |||
| ⚫ | In 2004, |
||
| ===Tobacco and cancer=== | |||
| Also in 2004, the Union of Concerned Scientists issued a report, ''Scientific Integrity in Policymaking: An Investigation into the Bush Administration's Misuse of Science''<ref> Union of Concerned Scientists</ref> which formally made the charge that the Bush administration was putting political ideology over science when writing policy or when determining who sits on advisory panels set up to provide expert input into decision making, saying: <blockquote>"A growing number of scientists, policy makers, and technical specialists both inside and outside the government allege that the current Bush administration has suppressed or distorted the scientific analyses of federal agencies to bring these results in line with administration policy. In addition, these experts contend that irregularities in the appointment of scientific advisors and advisory panels are threatening to upset the legally mandated balance of these bodies."</blockquote> | |||
| By the mid-1950s there was a scientific consensus that smoking caused lung cancer, but the ] fought the findings, both in the public eye and within the scientific community. Tobacco companies funded ]s and lobbying groups, started health reassurance campaigns, ran advertisements in medical journals, and researched alternate explanations for lung cancer, such as pollution, asbestos and even pet birds. Denying the case against tobacco was "closed," they called for more research as a tactic to delay regulation.<ref name=physorg></ref> | |||
| ⚫ | |||
| ==Modern accusations of politicization== | |||
| ⚫ | |||
| ⚫ | === George W. Bush administration === | ||
| ⚫ | In 2004, The '']'' reported that that ] "has installed more than 100 top officials who were once lobbyists, attorneys or spokespeople for the industries they oversee." At least 20 of these former industry advocates helped their agencies write, shape or push for policy shifts that benefit their former industries. "They knew which changes to make because they had pushed for them as industry advocates."<ref name=denver_post> Anne C. Mulkern. The Denver Post, May 23 2004.</ref> | ||
| ⚫ | Also in 2004, the Union of Concerned Scientists issued a report, ''Scientific Integrity in Policymaking: An Investigation into the Bush Administration's Misuse of Science''<ref name=americanprogress> Union of Concerned Scientists</ref><ref name=ucsintegrity> Union of Concerned Scientists</ref> which charged the following: <blockquote>A growing number of scientists, policy makers, and technical specialists both inside and outside the government allege that the current Bush administration has suppressed or distorted the scientific analyses of federal agencies to bring these results in line with administration policy. In addition, these experts contend that irregularities in the appointment of scientific advisors and advisory panels are threatening to upset the legally mandated balance of these bodies."</blockquote> A petition, signed by more than 9,000 scientists, including 49 Nobel laureates and 63 National Medal of Science recipients,<ref> Union of Concerned Scientists</ref> followed the report. The petition stated: <blockquote>"When scientific knowledge has been found to be in conflict with its political goals, the administration has often manipulated the process through which science enters into its decisions. This has been done by placing people who are professionally unqualified or who have clear conflicts of interest in official posts and on scientific advisory committees; by disbanding existing advisory committees; by censoring and suppressing reports by the government’s own scientists; and by simply not seeking independent scientific advice. Other administrations have, on occasion, engaged in such practices, but not so systematically nor on so wide a front. Furthermore, in advocating policies that are not scientifically sound, the administration has sometimes misrepresented scientific knowledge and misled the public about the implications of its policies."</blockquote> | ||
| ⚫ | |||
| ⚫ | The same year, Francesca Grifo, executive director of the Union of Concerned Scientists' Scientific Integrity Program, stated "We have reports that stay in draft form and don't get out to the public. We have reports that are changed. We have reports that are ignored and overwritten."<ref name=npr> Don Gonyea. National Public Radio, Weekend Edition Sunday, February 26 2006.</ref> | ||
| In response to criticisms, President Bush in 2006 unveiled a campaign in his ] to promote scientific research and education to ensure American competitiveness in the world, vowing to "double the federal commitment to the most critical basic research programs in the physical sciences over the next 10 years." | |||
| ====Surgeon General==== | |||
| Dr. ], the first ] appointed by President George W. Bush, publicly accused the administration in July of 2007 of political interference and muzzling him on key issues like ].<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.nytimes.com/2007/07/11/washington/11surgeon.html?_r=1 | title=Surgeon General Sees 4-Year Term as Compromised | publisher=] | date=], ] | accessdate=2007-12-03 | first=Gardiner | last=Harris }}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.reuters.com/article/politicsNews/idUSN1034212120070710 | title=Former Bush surgeon general says he was muzzled | date=], ] | accessdate=2007-12-03 | first=Will | last=Dunham | publisher=] }}</ref> | |||
| ⚫ | Although he did not make personal accusations, the ] reported on ] that the official who blocked at least one of Carmona's reports was ].<ref name=Post29>, Christopher Lee and Marc Kaufman, The Washington Post, July 29, 2007.</ref> | ||
| ⚫ | ====Food and Drug Administration==== | ||
| According to '']'', a survey of ] scientists by ] and the scientific ] group ] found that many scientists have been pressured to approve or reject new drugs despite their scientific findings concerns.<ref name=usatoday></ref> In July 2006, the Union of Concerned Scientists released survey results that they said "demonstrate pervasive political influence of science" at the ]<ref name=ucsfda></ref><ref name=ucsfda2></ref> | |||
| ====United States Department of the Interior==== | |||
| On ], 2007, deputy assistant secretary at the ] ] resigned after the Interior Department Inspector General, Honorable Earl E. Devaney, reported that MacDonald broke federal rules by giving non-public, internal government documents to oil industry and property rights groups, and manipulated scientific findings to favor Bush policy goals and assist land developers.<ref>{{cite news | url = http://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/2007-03-29-interior_N.htm?csp=15 | title = Report: Interior official blasted for twisting environmental data | publisher = USA Today | date = March 30, 2007}}</ref> On ], 2007, another report by the Devaney found that MacDonald could have also benefitted financially from a decision she was involved with to remove the ] fish from the federal endangered species list.<ref name=ensnov29></ref> | |||
| MacDonald's conduct violated the Code of Federal Regulations (C.F.R.) under 5 C.F.R. 9 2635.703 Use of Nonpublic Information and 5 C.F.R. 5 2635.101 Basic Obligation of Public Service, Appearance of Preferential Treatment.<ref>{{cite news | url = http://www.biologicaldiversity.org/swcbd/programs/esa/pdfs/DOI-IG-Report_JM.pdf | title = REPORT OF INVESTIGATION: Julie MacDonald, Deputy Assistant Secretary, Fish, Wildlife and Parks | publisher = US Department of the Interior | date = March 23, 2007}}</ref></blockquote> MacDonald resigned a week before a House congressional oversight committee was to hold a hearing on accusations that she had "violated the Endangered Species Act, censored science and mistreated staff of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service."<ref name=AP-20070501></ref> | |||
| ===Global warming=== | ===Global warming=== | ||
| The ] issue has long been a political issue for the Democratic party politician ]. Climate issues have formed the center piece of his political career since he was a US Senator. He used the global warming issue as a means of advancing his Presidential and Vice Presidential ambitions.<ref></ref> Recently Gore has continued to campaign for a global warming agenda that has won him an ] for ] and a ]. The solidity of his global warming science has been questioned but few can doubt the effectiveness of the global warming issue on his personal political standing. | |||
| {{main|Global warming controversy}} | |||
| ⚫ | In 1991, a US corporate coalition including the National Coal Association, the Western Fuels Association and Edison Electrical Institute created a ] |
||
| Both sides of the ] over ] have accused each other of politicizing the science behind ]. | |||
| ⚫ | In June 2005, ] papers |
||
| ⚫ | In 1991, a US corporate coalition including the ], the ] and ] created a ] organization called the "]" (ICE). ICE launched a $500,000 advertising campaign to, in ICE's own words, "reposition global warming as theory (not fact)." Critics of industry groups have charged that the claims about the a global warming controversy are part of a deliberate effort to reduce the impact any international treaty, such as the ], might have on their business interests. Conversely, skeptics of global warming have decried alarmism.<ref name=earthisland></ref> | ||
| In February 2007, White House Press Secretary Tony Snow made the claim that the United States was doing better at reducing greenhouse gases than the European Union -- a claim that turned out to be based on a subset of a complete data set -- in this case from 2000 to 2004 alone. When the complete record from 1990 (the index year for the ]) is used, emissions from the ] dropped 15% while US emissions rose.<ref>http://www.pacinst.org/topics/integrity_of_science/case_studies/selective_use_climate_update.pdf</ref>. This category of scientific abuse is also called the "selective use of data" by the ]'s project on the Integrity of Science, <ref>http://www.integrityofscience.org</ref> and ] by the public. | |||
| ⚫ | In June 2005, John Vidal, environment editor of '']'', asserted the existence of ] papers showing that the Bush administration thanked ] executives for the company's "active involvement" in helping to determine climate change policy, including the US stance on Kyoto. Input from the industry advocacy group ] was also a factor.<ref> John Vidal. The Guardian, June 8 2005</ref> In 2006, ''The Guardian'' reported that according data found in official Exxon documents, 124 organizations have taken money from ExxonMobil or worked closely with who that have, and that "These organizations take a consistent line on climate change: that the science is contradictory, the scientists are split, environmentalists are charlatans, liars or lunatics, and if governments took action to prevent global warming, they would be endangering the global economy for no good reason. The findings these organisations dislike are labelled 'junk science'. The findings they welcome are labelled 'sound science'."<ref> The Guardian, September 19, 2006</ref><ref name=pacinist></ref>. Accusations of scientific abuse are also called the "selective use of data" by the ], an institute created to provide independent research and policy analysis on issues at the intersection of development, environment, and security.<ref name=pacinst2></ref> | ||
| ===Waxman report=== | |||
| Climate change has also long been a political issue for the Democratic party politician ], who is often accused of using issue as a means to advancing his political ambitions.<ref name=americanthinker></ref> Recently, Gore won an Academy Award and a Nobel Peace Prize for his work. | |||
| ⚫ | In |
||
| == |
===Waxman report=== | ||
| ⚫ | In August 2003, ], Democratic Congressman ] and the staff of the ] released a report concluding that the ] had politicized science and ]. The report accuses the administration of modifying performance measures for abstinence-based programs to make them look more effective. The report also found that the Bush administration had appointed Dr. Joseph McIlhaney, a prominent advocate of abstinence-only program, to the Advisory Committee to the director of the ]. According to the report, information about comprehensive sex education was removed from the CDC's website. Other issues considered for removal included ], the ] and ]; the report found that a ] website has been changed to reflect the administration view that there may be a risk of breast cancer associated with ]s.<ref name=waxmanreport></ref><ref name=waxmanpage></ref> | ||
| In 2004 the Union of Concerned Scientists issued a series of reports charging that the Bush administration's political agenda had permeated "the traditionally objective, nonpartisan mechanisms through which the government uses scientific knowledge in forming and implementing public policy",<ref> ], 2004.</ref> and "The Bush administration has proven that federal government science can easily be suppressed, manipulated, and distorted."<ref> ], 2005.</ref> An update to the report concluded {{quotation|...at a time when one might expect the federal government to increasingly rely on impartial researchers for the critical role they play in gathering and analyzing specialized data, there are numerous indications that the opposite is occurring. A growing number of scientists, policy makers, and technical specialists both inside and outside the government allege that the Bush administration has suppressed or distorted the scientific analyses of federal agencies to bring these results in line with administration policy. In addition, these experts contend that irregularities in the appointment of scientific advisors and advisory panels are threatening to upset the legally mandated balance of these bodies."<ref> ]</ref>}} A petition appended to the report and signed by more than 60 pre-eminent scientists, including 20 Nobel laureates.<ref>http://www.ucsusa.org/news/press_release/preeminent-scientists-protest-bush-administrations-misuse-of-science.html </ref> These resulted in the "Restoring Scientific Integrity" program organized by the union. | |||
| ==US House of Representatives Science Oversight and Investigation subcommittee== | |||
| In January 2007 the ] announced the formation of a new subcommittee, the Science Oversight and Investigation subcommittee, which handles investigative and oversight activities on matters covering the committee's entire jurisdiction.<ref>"The Subcommittee handles investigative and oversight activities on matters covering the entire jurisdiction of the Committee on Science and Technology. This Subcommittee is new for the 110th Congress." </ref> The new subcommittee will be chaired by Representative ] of North Carolina. The subcommittee has authority to look into a whole range of important issues, particularly those concerning manipulation of scientific data at Federal agencies. In an interview Miller commented on if the subcommittee will investigate recent allegations of the politicization of science levelled against the government: | |||
| In January 2007, the ] announced the formation of a new subcommittee, the ], which handles investigative and oversight activities on matters covering the committee's entire jurisdiction.<ref>"The Subcommittee handles investigative and oversight activities on matters covering the entire jurisdiction of the Committee on Science and Technology. This Subcommittee is new for the 110th Congress." </ref> The subcommittee has authority to look into a whole range of important issues, particularly those concerning manipulation of scientific data at Federal agencies. In an interview, subcommitte chairman Rep. ] pledged to "look into...scientific integrity issues under the Bush Administration. There have been lots of reports in the press of manipulating science to support policy, rigging advisory panels, and suppressing research by federal employees or with federal dollars. I've written about that here before, and you interviewed me a year ago about the manipulation of science. In addition to the published reports, the committee staff has been collecting accounts, some confidential, of interference by political appointees. I hope that more folks will come forward now that Democrats are in the majority and we show we're really going to pursue the issue.<ref> Brad Miller interview. ], January 24, 2007.</ref>}} | |||
| == See also == | == See also == | ||
| Line 56: | Line 71: | ||
| *] | *] | ||
| *] | *] | ||
| *] | |||
| == External links == | |||
| * . Website by US Congressman Henry Waxman and the Government Reform Committee. | |||
| * The Union of Concerned Scientists (PDF file) | |||
| * | |||
| * | |||
| ==References== | ==References== | ||
| {{reflist}} | {{reflist}} | ||
| ==Additional reading== | |||
| :* ] (2005). | |||
| :* ] (2004). | |||
| :* ] (2005). | |||
| ] | ] | ||
Revision as of 22:07, 5 December 2007
The politicization of science is "manipulating science for political gain."
It occurs when government, business or interest groups use legal or economic pressure to influence the findings of scientific research or the way the it is disseminated, reported or interpreted. Historically, government, business, special interest groups have conducted various campaigns to promote their interests in defiance of scientific consensus, and in an effort to manipulate public policy.
History
Galileo and the Catholic Church
One of the earliest and best known instances of politicization was the issue of the mobility of the earth, a controversy which came to a head in Renaissance times. Galileo supported the theory of Copernicus that the planets (including the Earth) all revolve around the Sun, while the politically dominant Roman Catholic Church exalted the view of Ptolemy that the Sun and the planets all revolve around the Earth. After enjoying limited political support for his less provocative astronomical discoveries, Galileo was summoned to Rome, tried, and sentenced to life imprisonment (commuted to "house arrest").
Modern historians of science generally view this as a textbook case of political suppression of scientific fact, and in the 20th century the church issue a formal apology and vindication of Galileo.
Wheat production and the Soviet Union
Main article: LysenkoismTrofim Lysenko declared that the genetics of Mendel’s peas and Morgan’s fruit flies was incorrect and simply a capitalist plot to exploit the peasants and working class. Lysenko believed that only environmental factors determined the performance of plants and that acquired characteristics could be inherited. With his theory that denied the existence of gene-based inheritance, Lysenko promised almost instant improvements in agricultural production. Lysenko’s proletariat origins helped him to avoid the hatred of the Soviet authorities for the intelligentsia. He first became famous in 1928 by claiming that a series of simple steps, within reach of any farmer,produced markedly improved yields of wheat. All that was necessary was "vernalization" - soaking winter wheat seed in the fall, burying it in sacks under the snow, and planting it in the spring like ordinary spring wheat. This was all a fraud, supported by falsified data and government corruption.
Tobacco and cancer
By the mid-1950s there was a scientific consensus that smoking caused lung cancer, but the tobacco industry fought the findings, both in the public eye and within the scientific community. Tobacco companies funded think tanks and lobbying groups, started health reassurance campaigns, ran advertisements in medical journals, and researched alternate explanations for lung cancer, such as pollution, asbestos and even pet birds. Denying the case against tobacco was "closed," they called for more research as a tactic to delay regulation.
Modern accusations of politicization
George W. Bush administration
In 2004, The Denver Post reported that that George W. Bush administration "has installed more than 100 top officials who were once lobbyists, attorneys or spokespeople for the industries they oversee." At least 20 of these former industry advocates helped their agencies write, shape or push for policy shifts that benefit their former industries. "They knew which changes to make because they had pushed for them as industry advocates."
Also in 2004, the Union of Concerned Scientists issued a report, Scientific Integrity in Policymaking: An Investigation into the Bush Administration's Misuse of Science which charged the following:
A growing number of scientists, policy makers, and technical specialists both inside and outside the government allege that the current Bush administration has suppressed or distorted the scientific analyses of federal agencies to bring these results in line with administration policy. In addition, these experts contend that irregularities in the appointment of scientific advisors and advisory panels are threatening to upset the legally mandated balance of these bodies."
A petition, signed by more than 9,000 scientists, including 49 Nobel laureates and 63 National Medal of Science recipients, followed the report. The petition stated:
"When scientific knowledge has been found to be in conflict with its political goals, the administration has often manipulated the process through which science enters into its decisions. This has been done by placing people who are professionally unqualified or who have clear conflicts of interest in official posts and on scientific advisory committees; by disbanding existing advisory committees; by censoring and suppressing reports by the government’s own scientists; and by simply not seeking independent scientific advice. Other administrations have, on occasion, engaged in such practices, but not so systematically nor on so wide a front. Furthermore, in advocating policies that are not scientifically sound, the administration has sometimes misrepresented scientific knowledge and misled the public about the implications of its policies."
The same year, Francesca Grifo, executive director of the Union of Concerned Scientists' Scientific Integrity Program, stated "We have reports that stay in draft form and don't get out to the public. We have reports that are changed. We have reports that are ignored and overwritten."
In response to criticisms, President Bush in 2006 unveiled a campaign in his State of the Union Address to promote scientific research and education to ensure American competitiveness in the world, vowing to "double the federal commitment to the most critical basic research programs in the physical sciences over the next 10 years."
Surgeon General
Dr. Richard Carmona, the first surgeon general appointed by President George W. Bush, publicly accused the administration in July of 2007 of political interference and muzzling him on key issues like embryonic stem cell research. Although he did not make personal accusations, the Washington Post reported on July 29 that the official who blocked at least one of Carmona's reports was William R. Steiger.
Food and Drug Administration
According to USA Today, a survey of Food and Drug Administration scientists by Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility and the scientific advocacy group Union of Concerned Scientists found that many scientists have been pressured to approve or reject new drugs despite their scientific findings concerns. In July 2006, the Union of Concerned Scientists released survey results that they said "demonstrate pervasive political influence of science" at the Food and Drug Administration
United States Department of the Interior
On May 1, 2007, deputy assistant secretary at the United States Department of the Interior Julie MacDonald resigned after the Interior Department Inspector General, Honorable Earl E. Devaney, reported that MacDonald broke federal rules by giving non-public, internal government documents to oil industry and property rights groups, and manipulated scientific findings to favor Bush policy goals and assist land developers. On 29 November, 2007, another report by the Devaney found that MacDonald could have also benefitted financially from a decision she was involved with to remove the Sacramento splittail fish from the federal endangered species list.
MacDonald's conduct violated the Code of Federal Regulations (C.F.R.) under 5 C.F.R. 9 2635.703 Use of Nonpublic Information and 5 C.F.R. 5 2635.101 Basic Obligation of Public Service, Appearance of Preferential Treatment. MacDonald resigned a week before a House congressional oversight committee was to hold a hearing on accusations that she had "violated the Endangered Species Act, censored science and mistreated staff of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service."
Global warming
Main article: Global warming controversyBoth sides of the controversy over global warming have accused each other of politicizing the science behind climate change.
In 1991, a US corporate coalition including the National Coal Association, the Western Fuels Association and Edison Electrical Institute created a public relations organization called the "Information Council on the Environment" (ICE). ICE launched a $500,000 advertising campaign to, in ICE's own words, "reposition global warming as theory (not fact)." Critics of industry groups have charged that the claims about the a global warming controversy are part of a deliberate effort to reduce the impact any international treaty, such as the Kyoto Protocol, might have on their business interests. Conversely, skeptics of global warming have decried alarmism.
In June 2005, John Vidal, environment editor of The Guardian, asserted the existence of US State Department papers showing that the Bush administration thanked Exxon executives for the company's "active involvement" in helping to determine climate change policy, including the US stance on Kyoto. Input from the industry advocacy group Global Climate Coalition was also a factor. In 2006, The Guardian reported that according data found in official Exxon documents, 124 organizations have taken money from ExxonMobil or worked closely with who that have, and that "These organizations take a consistent line on climate change: that the science is contradictory, the scientists are split, environmentalists are charlatans, liars or lunatics, and if governments took action to prevent global warming, they would be endangering the global economy for no good reason. The findings these organisations dislike are labelled 'junk science'. The findings they welcome are labelled 'sound science'.". Accusations of scientific abuse are also called the "selective use of data" by the Pacific Institute, an institute created to provide independent research and policy analysis on issues at the intersection of development, environment, and security.
Climate change has also long been a political issue for the Democratic party politician Al Gore, who is often accused of using issue as a means to advancing his political ambitions. Recently, Gore won an Academy Award and a Nobel Peace Prize for his work.
Waxman report
In August 2003, United States, Democratic Congressman Henry A. Waxman and the staff of the Government Reform Committee released a report concluding that the administration of George W. Bush had politicized science and sex education. The report accuses the administration of modifying performance measures for abstinence-based programs to make them look more effective. The report also found that the Bush administration had appointed Dr. Joseph McIlhaney, a prominent advocate of abstinence-only program, to the Advisory Committee to the director of the Center for Disease Control. According to the report, information about comprehensive sex education was removed from the CDC's website. Other issues considered for removal included agricultural pollution, the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge and breast cancer; the report found that a National Cancer Institute website has been changed to reflect the administration view that there may be a risk of breast cancer associated with abortions.
US House of Representatives Science Oversight and Investigation subcommittee
In January 2007, the House Committee on Science and Technology announced the formation of a new subcommittee, the Science Oversight and Investigation subcommittee, which handles investigative and oversight activities on matters covering the committee's entire jurisdiction. The subcommittee has authority to look into a whole range of important issues, particularly those concerning manipulation of scientific data at Federal agencies. In an interview, subcommitte chairman Rep. Brad Miller pledged to "look into...scientific integrity issues under the Bush Administration. There have been lots of reports in the press of manipulating science to support policy, rigging advisory panels, and suppressing research by federal employees or with federal dollars. I've written about that here before, and you interviewed me a year ago about the manipulation of science. In addition to the published reports, the committee staff has been collecting accounts, some confidential, of interference by political appointees. I hope that more folks will come forward now that Democrats are in the majority and we show we're really going to pursue the issue.}}
See also
- Antiscience
- Artificial controversy
- Denialism
- Discovery Institute intelligent design campaigns
- Framing (communication theory)
- Kansas evolution hearings
- The Republican War on Science
- Spin (public relations)
- Scientists and Engineers for America
References
- Politicizing Science: The Alchemy of Policymaking
- Wedge Document
- Evolution or design debate heats up.
- American Association for the Advancement of Science Statement on the Teaching of Evolution]
- Intelligent Judging — Evolution in the Classroom and the Courtroom George J. Annas, New England Journal of Medicine, Volume 354:2277-2281 May 25, 2006
- Harmful Politicization of Science
- Tobacco companies obstructed science, history professor says
- When Advocates Become Regulators Anne C. Mulkern. The Denver Post, May 23 2004.
- Scientific Integrity in Policymaking: An Investigation into the Bush Administration's Misuse of Science Union of Concerned Scientists
- Restoring Scientific Integrity in Policymaking Union of Concerned Scientists
- Scientific Integrity Statement Signatories Union of Concerned Scientists
- Bush Science Push Fails to Transform Critics Don Gonyea. National Public Radio, Weekend Edition Sunday, February 26 2006.
- Harris, Gardiner (July 11, 2007). "Surgeon General Sees 4-Year Term as Compromised". New York Times. Retrieved 2007-12-03.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - Dunham, Will (July 10, 2007). "Former Bush surgeon general says he was muzzled". Reuters. Retrieved 2007-12-03.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - Bush Aide Blocked Report, Christopher Lee and Marc Kaufman, The Washington Post, July 29, 2007.
- Survey: FDA scientists question safety
- FDA Scientists Pressured to Exclude, Alter Findings; Scientists Fear Retaliation for Voicing Safety Concerns
- Examples of abuse, Scientific Integrity at Risk: The Food and Drug Administration
- "Report: Interior official blasted for twisting environmental data". USA Today. March 30, 2007.
- U.S. Endangered Species Program Burdened by Political Meddling
- "REPORT OF INVESTIGATION: Julie MacDonald, Deputy Assistant Secretary, Fish, Wildlife and Parks" (PDF). US Department of the Interior. March 23, 2007.
- Embattled Interior official resigns post"
- The PR Plot to Overheat the Earth
- Revealed: how oil giant influenced Bush, White House sought advice from Exxon on Kyoto stance John Vidal. The Guardian, June 8 2005
- The Denial Industry The Guardian, September 19, 2006
- The Political and Selective Use of Data: Cherry-Picking Climate Information in the White House
- Integrity of Science initiative of the Pacific Institute
- Gore's Grave New World
- Politics and Science
- Politics & Science: Investigating the Bush Administration's Promotion of Ideology Over Science
- "The Subcommittee handles investigative and oversight activities on matters covering the entire jurisdiction of the Committee on Science and Technology. This Subcommittee is new for the 110th Congress." Subcommittees, Committee on Science and Technology
- Democrats Form New Science Subcommittee Brad Miller interview. Daily Kos, January 24, 2007.