The ‘pandemic’ and danger of science illiteracy in America.
The dangerous ‘pandemic’ of science illiteracy in America. By: Michael Pravica, Ph.D. Recently, I was asked to participate in a meeting and discussion on climate change for the Democratic party during the February debate in Las Vegas 1 . I was excited for the opportunity to offer some input on how to develop strategies to combat climate change and to possibly connect and work with other scientists on this critical and ever worsening problem. However, to my immense disappointment, I quickly realized that all of the people present were politicians, activists, and other nonscientists. I was the only bonafide s cientist in the room. We spent more time discussing the racial and gender diversity of the group and climate racism than climate change itself. This is symptomatic of how token scientists are marginally “involved” in public discourse and decision-making on issues that are all about science. With ...