It is not a common occurrence to stand up and chant positive affirmations at an international scientific conference in the hope of addressing today’s climate change crisis. However, this tactic happened multiple times over the course of the National Council on Science and the Environment (NCSE) 2020 conference held in Washington, D.C., 6-9 January 2020. […]
Science-Policy Interface
Challenges and Opportunities for Resilience to Climate Change: Highlights from the Gulf of Maine 2050 International Symposium
Climate change—its effects and steps to adapt to change—was the dominant subject at the Gulf of Maine International Symposium held in Portland, Maine on 4-8 November 2019. Organized by the Gulf of Maine Research Institute, The Maine Coastal Program (State of Maine), the Gulf of Maine Council on the Marine Environment, and the Huntsman Marine […]
Environmental Expertise: Connecting Science, Policy, and Society: A Book Review
How can environmental information be used to enhance understanding between science, policy, and society, while simultaneously avoiding the urge to reduce that information to its lowest common denominator? Furthermore, how can knowledge transfer be facilitated across institutional and personal boundaries, while still keeping the knowledge intact and usable? These questions, along with a host of […]
“Environmental Research and Knowledge Production within Governmental Organizations”: a New Book Chapter by EIUI Authors
Research occupies centre-stage in evidence-based (or evidence-informed) decision-making. Depending on the issue, the agendas of decision makers, and other contextual factors, evidence may be drawn from a variety of sources to use in decisions. Because universities and colleges world-wide are major generators of research knowledge today, the output of academics can overshadow research conducted in […]
EIUI at the 2018 Bay of Fundy Science Workshop – Proceedings Now Available
The Bay of Fundy, and the larger Gulf of Maine, is one of the most diverse ecological ocean and coastal areas globally and home to the world’s highest tides. The Bay of Fundy was the Canadian finalist in the worldwide New7Wonders of Nature contest (2007-2011). Since 1996, the Bay of Fundy Ecosystem Partnership (BoFEP) has […]
“The Future of Ocean Governance and Capacity Development” Now in Open Access
The International Ocean Institute-Canada has announced that its recently published book The Future of Ocean Governance and Capacity Development: Essays in Honor of Elisabeth Mann Borgese (1918-2002) is now available in open access format. The full book (11 Mb pdf file) and the individual essays can be downloaded at this link. The contributions by EIUI […]
Communication Pathways and Models: Bridging the Gap between Science and Policy
Effective research communication between scientists and policy-makers is becoming an increasingly important subject to consider when tackling some of the world’s most wicked problems. On one hand, scientists must become comfortable with translating their work into information products that can be used beyond scientific circles and understood by laypeople. On the other, policy-makers should attempt […]
An Introduction to the Science-Policy Interface Concept: What, Why, and How
Today, policy-making is often complex; policy-makers must contend with many different stakeholders and their often-conflicting interests. The rise of evidence-based policy-making over the past quarter century has further complicated policy-making, because policy makers must be aware of and are pressured to use the vast array of scientific and other research information available for informing policy. […]
“Drivers of Change in Gulf of Maine Ecosystems”: Highlights of the 2018 RARGOM Annual Science Meeting
The Regional Association for Research on the Gulf of Maine (RARGOM), a group that annually sponsors a one-day gathering of marine scientists, science managers, and fisheries managers from around the Gulf of Maine and Bay of Fundy, held its 2018 meeting in Portland, Maine, on 26 October 2018. As in previous years, the EIUI research […]
New Essays on Ocean Governance by EIUI Team Members in Honour of Elizabeth Mann Borgese
The Environmental Information: Use and Influence (EIUI) research team is pleased to announce the contributions by Bertrum MacDonald, Suzuette Soomai, and Peter Wells to the new book, The Future of Ocean Governance and Capacity Development: Essays in Honor of Elisabeth Mann Borgese (1918-2002). Prepared under the editorship of the International Ocean Institute-Canada (IOI-Canada) and published […]