Table — Role
of Citizen-Scientists (source: Schneider 2003, "Mediarology",
this website).
- Citizens should demand from scientists answers to the 'three questions
of environmental literacy': “What can happen?”, “What are the
odds of it happening?”, and “How do you estimate all this?”
- Citizens must get well enough informed to feel comfortable making value
judgments — that is, choosing policies — based on the assessed risks
and benefits
- Citizens have to help determine what is a fair burden-sharing among those
who pay to implement policies that manage risks
- Citizens need to be sure the process of assessment is open — that
is, that all relevant stakeholders are heard — but citizens should not
be put in charge of estimating the credibility of scientific arguments given
their lack of training in complex analysis and frequent bias for client’s
interests
- Citizens need to be sure the agenda for scientific assessment matches their
views on what topics need credible assessment of probabilities and consequences
- Citizens should avoid being hypocritical by blaming others while not themselves
engaging in climate-friendly practices at the individual level. (For examples
of some household "solutions," see Heede
(2002).