Climate scientists - respect, but don't be afraid of policy

There has been some discussion in the Twittersphere about how or whether climate scientists should wade in on climate policy. I'm guessing that this is of most concern to early to mid-career scientists and/or academics who have not had much, if any, exposure to policy development. Some scientists at a senior level do get involved in providing policy input and advice, either through advancement (e.g. job promotion in a government agency) or by being co-opted onto one or more government advisory committees (e.g. senior academics).

Thought I'd add my two bobs worth since I've had some experience in the policy area.

The tweet that started the thread was from climate scientist Kate Marvel (and another here).

Asking climate scientists about climate policy is like asking a plumber to build a house. You definitely need them involved, but you’re probably going to need more expertise than that

— Kate Marvel (@DrKateMarvel) November 7, 2019

Policy development can be overwhelming, at first

While there's nothing wrong, in my view, with asking a climate scientist to comment on policy, I can understand that some scientists would feel reluctant to respond, and maybe a bit overwhelmed.

I've observed senior scientists brought in from research stations into policy roles as part of a job rotation program to foster career development. Their first reaction can be one of shock at the myriad issues passing across their desk, the volume and complexity of the work and how little time they have to cover it all.

Policy work is different in many ways from scientific research. It is messy, involves talking to people (that dreaded word "stakeholders"), sorting through and managing conflicting positions (usually involving influential players within and outside of government), and will often end up as regulation. It is frequently a response to a crisis, or it can, on occasion, be a result of a new government wanting to make its mark. It's challenging, absorbing, can be exciting, and in the main is very rewarding work. It requires a detailed knowledge of the whole of government, political systems, community engagement and how to tap into expert advice; and more. (It's not for the faint-hearted.)

Scientists have a responsibility to call for action

I don't plan on going into all the ins and outs of policy development. What I was going to say is that there's no reason scientists should not have an opinion on particular policies, and nor should they be afraid of voicing that opinion, or of saying they don't have the expertise to offer an opinion if that's how they feel.

It's important to point out the distinction between experts calling for action if they see a problem, and experts advocating a particular solution to that problem.

Experts are expected to do the former. They are expected, as part of their role, to call for action and alert the right people when they see a problem. If climate scientists didn't call for action would anyone have recognised the problems of climate change?

Scientists can express opinions on particular policies

There is not the same expectation that experts will come up with detailed policies to address the problem. As Kate Marvel implied, that will require expertise from many different disciplines (economists, sociologists, political experts, legal experts and more). After they've called for action, climate experts will probably be called upon to help with specialist input but the responsibility for developing the policy rests with the technocrats, bureaucrats, politicians and governments.

Any member of the public can and (in my view) should be active in promoting action and policy if they feel strongly about it and think they have something to offer. A scientist is no different. If they feel strongly about a particular policy they should be unafraid to express their opinion. As with any matter, if their opinion is strongly based on their expertise they can say how and why. If it's based on personal or political views more than their scientific expertise, then they should say that too.

I wrote about this some years ago in response to an article by a scientist who thought scientists shouldn't be advocates. I didn't agree with that view then and I still don't. Climate scientists have an obligation as scientists to warn us of the dangers of climate change. As scientists, and as members of the public, they are entitled to express their opinions on the merits or otherwise of policy solutions.

Further reading from HotWhopper archives

• Okay, I'll bite...should scientists be "neutral"? - August 2013 (more thoughts on the subject)
• Policy postscript - where Judith Curry is wrong - August 2013