Ocean assets are estimated to provide up to US$24 trillion globally and ocean services are valued between US$1.5 trillion and US$6 trillion a year. However, the current rate of ocean resource exploitation risks a potential impact of US$8.4 trillion across ocean sectors over a 15-year period (Haugan et al., 2024). Excessive economic activity and systemic […]
Information Use & Influence
Dam! I Feel Like a River: A Comparative Study of Social License for Dam Removal and River Restoration in Atlantic Canada
Many of Canada’s dams and other river barriers were constructed during the high-modernist period (mid-20th century) when controlling nature was a priority and symbol of progress. Today, these barriers are reaching the end of their functional lifespans, providing opportunities to rethink our relationships with obstructed river systems. When considering how best to modify existing dam […]
Beyond Tokenistic Engagement: Reimagining Coastal Community Participation in Marine Spatial Planning
At a time of growing human demand for the use of marine space and its resources (Ehler, 2021; Koehler et al., 2017), Marine Spatial Planning (MSP) has been proposed as a novel process that could foster sustainable marine governance (Pyć, 2019). By 2023, around 126 countries had adopted MSP in some form (IOC-UNESCO, 2024), including […]
Co-Producing Studies on Evidence Use to Achieve SDG 11
In 2015, the member countries of the United Nations adopted Transforming our world: the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Since then, the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) have served as an “urgent call for action by all countries – developed and developing – in a global partnership” (The 17 Goals). These goals “recognize that ending […]
Indigenous Data Sovereignty and the Importance of Accurate Data
When making decisions on behalf of communities, governments should rely on accurate data (Walter et al., 2021). However, that data may not reflect the realities of communities when they have little say in how the data are collected or used. The importance of this issue arises in discussion of Indigenous Data Sovereignty (IDS). IDS refers […]
Health and Medicine: “Following the Science” – Different Directions Lead to Different Outcomes
The statement “follow the science” is much more complicated than it first appears when it is applied to drafting and implementing policy decisions in health fields. In health science and policy, the stakes are high, as lives can hang in the balance. Health scientists and policy makers face many challenges in ensuring the best possible […]
Bridging the Gap Between Research and Policy Making: Advocacy and Brokerage at the Science-Policy Interface
It has long been recognized that research information does not always translate directly into policy (Gluckman, et al., 2021). Linking research and policy making is an essential step in ensuring effective, evidence-informed policy outcomes. One of the ways this can be achieved is by encouraging stakeholders who are involved in the process of knowledge generation […]
The Relationship between Science Literacy and Information Media
The concept of science literacy is traditionally framed as a knowledge-deficit model. This model theorizes that the reason science is not trusted for decision-making is because people have not received enough information or they do not understand how science works. The model assumes that if people were more informed about science, they would more likely […]
The Transparency and Trust Paradox: More Accessible Knowledge and Weaker Accountability
As scientific evidence has become increasingly more accessible and automated than ever previously, why is it harder to trust the authenticity of research work? Emerging tools in artificial intelligence (AI), open data portals, open science, and preprints have enabled faster, more efficient knowledge access and sharing. At the same time, these advances have created new […]
Open in Form, Opaque in Practice: Analysis of Evidence Transparency in Green Hydrogen Environmental Assessments in Atlantic Canada
In Canada, environmental assessments (EAs) are completed on the promise that the decisions they generate will be grounded in findable and accessible evidence that anyone can scrutinize. Both federal and provincial governments have formally committed to open government and open science initiatives, and environmental assessment legislation emphasizes public access, transparency, and evidence-informed decision-making as core […]