Scientific knowledge and environmental policy: why science needs values

While the term ‘science’ is evoked with immense frequency in the political arena, it continues to be misunderstood. Perhaps the most repeated example of this – particularly when dealing with environmental policy and regulatory issues – is when science is called upon to provide the unattainable: namely, proof. What is scientific knowledge and, more importantly, what is it capable of providing us? These questions must be answered – by policymakers, politicians, the public, and scientists themselves – if we hope to ever resolve today's environmental controversies in a just and equitable way. This paper begins by critically examining the concepts of uncertainty and proof as they apply to science. Discussion then turns to the issue of values in science. This is to speak of the normative decisions that are made routinely in the environmental sciences (but often without them being recognized as such). To conclude, insights are gleaned from the preceding sections to help us understand how science should be utilized and conducted, particularly as it applies to environmental policy.