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 […]
Public Policy & Decision Making
Science-Policy Interface Books EIUI Team Members are Reading This Summer
In the midst of the daily publication of new journal papers that warrant attention, books are often set aside for reading. Much like many other busy researchers, EIUI team members find time during the summer to catch up. Because the science-policy interface arena is very active globally, the line-up of new books in this field […]
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 […]
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 […]
Evidence-Informed Decision Making: A Timely Graduate Course
The scheduling of the graduate course, “Information in Public Policy and Decision Making,” offered by the Dalhousie University School of Information Management could hardly be more timely or important. Troubling as the COVID-19 pandemic has been, as the virus infiltrated countries and caused havoc around the globe, it presented an exceptional case for students to […]
Managing Biodiversity beyond National Jurisdiction: New Publications Examine Ongoing Treaty Negotiations at the United Nations
The United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), a landmark international treaty that entered into force in 1994, provides the legal framework for the sustainable development of the oceans. UNCLOS covers a wide range of issues in a text containing over 300 articles. Over the decades since the treaty’s completion in 1982, […]
Environmental Information and Racism: A Recent Panel Discussion
On 1 February 2020, Dr. Ian Stewart served as moderator for a panel at the annual conference of the Social Activists Law Students’ Association, Law, Social Activism, and the Media held at the Shulich School of Law at Dalhousie University. The conference explored how media, law, and activist movements impact and shape each other. […]
Improving Use of Research-Based Information in Policy Contexts
The importance of evidence-informed decision-making is being recognized more and more within the broader scientific and political landscape. For critical issues like climate change, well-informed and structured policies can bring substantial progress to current and future mitigation and adaptation strategies. This awareness has resulted in increased efforts to design science-policy engagement strategies and best practices […]
Challenges in Measuring the Use and Influence of Research-Based Information
Conducting research and producing reports are important pursuits, but they are only some of the activities found in research-to-policy processes. When data have been collected, analysed, and reports prepared, the next step, namely, communication, can be fraught with challenges that can impede use of the research. Some studies are conducted to address questions posed directly […]