1 - Introduction: Science Societies

Summary

I am writing from what feels like a time of crisis. As I sit in my office in Vienna the COVID-19 pandemic continues to rage, causing everything from cancelled meetings and online teaching to millions of excess deaths across the world. The climate crisis – the onset of changes in the global climate caused by human activity – is beginning to shape weather patterns and the degree to which particular regions of the world are habitable; each year, we see more extreme weather, alongside disasters such as widespread flooding or wildfires. And there are conflicts and clashes at national borders. Two countries over from where I sit in Austria, Russia has invaded Ukraine, and the country is the site of appalling violence as it fights to maintain its sovereignty. This is, however, just one example of forms of nationalistic aggression that are taking place around the world, from Colombia to Afghanistan, which are causing widespread death, destruction, and displacement. Many predict that such conflicts will only increase as climate change reshapes the world's landscapes.

This is not a book about these crises, or the many others that shape our world. It is, however, a book about one thing that these events have in common. In all of these examples, scientific and technical knowledge and expertise are central to how they are understood, managed, and unfold. While they are not only scientific crises or controversies, science and technology are vital aspects of them. To take some examples: I have just read an expert commentary on the war in Ukraine that uses the results from ‘war games’ to discuss possible outcomes of the current situation. These highly technical processes use modelling to try and understand different conflict scenarios, with the results of such games themselves feeding in to political advice and decision making. I have also just carried out a PCR test for COVID-19, a now regular occurrence to check whether I am infected and whether I can safely meet with others. My results will come back in 24 hours: I have become adept both at carrying out the test and reading the results (I have learned what a ‘CT value’ is, for instance).