Is the culture of science to blame for public confusion about climate change?
Naomi Oreskes, Professor of History and Science Studies at UCSD, Adjunct Professor of Geosciences at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography, and author of Merchants of Doubt, answers – with science to back her up.
UPDATE 11-21-11: The Daily Climate has done a Q&A with Oreskes, exploring how she got into research on climate denial and why she thinks it’s important to recognize the scientific consensus on human-caused climate change.
UPDATE 11-16-11: There are definitely plenty of examples of scientists trying to buck – even change – the culture of science from the inside out. Dr. Holly Bik is one, as she explained in a post on the Deep Sea News blog today:
.. changing the culture of science doesn’t just mean reaching out to the public. It means convincing scientists to build and maintain a high public visibility—leveraging blogs and social media is lucrative and worthwhile. Engaging non-scientists isn’t an option. In today’s world, it is a necessity. And, contrary to popular belief, this type of outreach doesn’t compete with your research—on the contrary, it enhances and broadens your traditional scientific portfolio.