Just our luck: the one time we went to the annual meeting of the
American Geophysical Union, the most exciting thing that happened was
that geologist photocopying his rocks. But this year, headlines abound.
Earlier this week at the event, the Union of Concerned Scientists
issued a statement signed by more than 10,000 U.S. researchers
protesting political interference in science. And yesterday, Al Gore
materialized to urge scientists to address climate change and fend off
political pressure. (Seriously, when does that guy sleep?) "Get
involved, because so much is at stake," he thundered, and was met with
hoots and hollers. Also this week, U.S. Geological Survey scientists
made noise about federal rules that require them to run reports and
speeches past supervisors to make sure they meet (cue eerie music)
agency standards. "I feel as though we've got someone looking over our
shoulder at every damn thing we do," said USGS marine biologist James
Estes. "And to me that's a very scary thing."
straight to the source: BBC News, Jonathan Amos, 14 Dec 2006
straight to the source: BBC News, Jonathan Amos, 14 Dec 2006
