Pressing concerns about protecting human and environmental well-being from climate change illustrates the need for public policy decisions to reflect scientific knowledge. Policy and decision-makers, local communities, and citizens depend on research-based information to make evidence-informed decisions. If scientific communities fail to engage with external audiences using appropriate methods of communication, the policy sphere is […]
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What is Evidence?
What constitutes evidence varies with decision makers and decision processes. For example, in some contexts, evidence is viewed as the results of research obtained through data collection and analysis. In policy making contexts, however, evidence used in decision-making processes should adopt a holistic approach that identifies multiple streams of knowledge and efficiently synthesizes information to […]
Navigating Towards an Effective Science-Policy Interface
Science and scientific knowledge are utilized in everyday operations of society and policy (van den Hove, 2007). Moreover, scientific knowledge provided by scientists and scientific organizations directly impacts our society through its relationships with decision-making at various government levels (van den Hove, 2007). However, the different needs, expectations, and even language used by those involved […]
A tribute to Professor Edward O. Wilson, Harvard University
Image (E.O. Wilson, Wikipedia, Creative Commons License) Dr. E. O. (Ed) Wilson, one of America’s most recognized and influential biologists in the twentieth and twenty-first centuries, sadly passed away during the Christmas holidays at the age of 92, after a long and highly productive career and retirement. His many papers and books, on topics […]
Controlling Global Climate Change at COP 26: Moving from Science-Policy Discussions to Meaningful and Timely Action
Image credit: North Cornwall (UK) coastline, P. G. Wells photo. The 26th UN Climate Change Conference of the Parties (COP26) will meet in Glasgow, Scotland, from 31 October to 12 November 2021 to move the climate change agenda forward from where it left off in Paris in 2015. COP 26 follows a large number […]
New EIUI Paper – Understanding the Role of Information in Marine Policy Development
As world-wide attention continues to focus on serious environmental stresses, including biodiversity loss, e.g., the recently concluded meeting of IUCN World Conservation Congress in Marseille, France; food security, e.g., the UN Food Systems Summit, 23 September 2021; and the impact of climate change, e.g., the upcoming UN Framework Convention on Climate Change Conference of […]
News Media and Public Policy Decisions: What Can Public Discourse Tell Us about Community Views on Open Net-Pen Salmon Aquaculture in Nova Scotia?
The news media can be very influential in decision-making processes. Traditional news media are widely used sources for information consumption and they have the means and reach to inform and shape public opinion. Although the news media are often open to political, social, and cultural biases and might not paint the entire picture on […]
New EIUI Paper: Using Interpersonal Communication Strategies to Encourage Science Conversations on Social Media
The internet has become our main information source, particularly noticeable during the pandemic. Currently, over half of the global population is online, with billions also using social media. We now have access to an enormous volume of information, but its quality ranges from helpful to harmful, especially on important scientific and political topics. An […]
EIUI Team Member Warns about the Risks of High Seas Mining in The Conversation
Mining the deep ocean presents significant risks, which decision makers need to consider, according to EIUI team member, Elizabeth De Santo, and co-authors in a 17 August 2020 article in The Conversation, entitled “A rush is on to mine the deep seabed, with effects on ocean life that aren’t well understood.” This article is an […]
50 Years On: The 1970 SS Arrow Oil Spill in Nova Scotia’s Coastal Waters – Science and Decision Making in an Environmental Emergency
On 4 February 1970, the oil tanker SS Arrow ran aground on the rocks of Chedabucto Bay on Nova Scotia’s east coast and four days later about two thirds of the 14,700 ton cargo of Bunker C oil spilled into the Bay. Recently, I collaborated with two Department of Fisheries and Oceans-Bedford Institute of Oceanography […]