Commitment to scientific method must be maintained

LETTERS

On April 22, Marches for Science were held in 600 cities around the world. These were intended to alert the public to the determined efforts of some to persuade us to disregard clear scientific evidence about environmental threats.

Donald Trump is playing a central role in the attack on science. His promise that coal will be king again, at a time when other countries, including China, are moving to cleaner alternatives, alarms many scientists. In his short time in office, he has already restricted the powers of the Environmental Protection Agency and, equally alarming, has threatened to withdraw the U.S. from the Kyoto Agreement.

But Canada is not without blame. After the Mulroney government forged a landmark agreement with the U.S. on a joint commitment to combat acid rain in the Great Lakes region, the Harper government withdrew its support for the program. It is ironic that it was a federally funded research station in Ontario, created under this program, that largely framed the acid rain issue for the rest of the world. And Canadian scientists are presently troubled by funding cuts to core programs.

In southern Alberta, the provincial government’s modest proposals to minimize damage in the fragile Castle Wilderness Area has resulted in strong pushback from those opposed to restrictions on off-road vehicle use.

But rather than a specific environmental threat, the driving force behind the March for Science initiative is a recognition that governments and citizens must restore a commitment to the scientific process. Science may sometimes get it wrong, but at the heart of the scientific method is verification and self-correction.

Tom McMillan, federal Minister of Environment from 1985-88, described the present global challenge eloquently in his book “Not My Party”: “A political party that is a stranger to science,” he wrote, “cannot easily make friends with the truth.”

Perhaps he meant all of us.

Robert (Bob) Tarleck

Lethbridge