Is the public behind public consultations?

The latest UK study into public attitudes to science was published earlier this month. PAS 2011 – the fourth in a series – represents the Government’s main mechanism for assessing progress on public engagement with science. One section that caught my attention was about the attitudes of the Brits to public consultations. Public consultations on…

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Scientific advice could have reduced ash cloud chaos

It’s almost a year since the volcanic ash from the Icelandic volcanoes caused mayhem for air travel. Many voices at the time were asking “Why could we not have predicted this?”. This sentiment is echoed in a new report from the UK’s Commons Science and Technology Committee (CSTC), which described the crisis – with remarkable…

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Climate science – has its reputation survived?

There is no doubt public confidence in climate research has taken a battering over the last 18 months. High profile disagreements, mistakes, email releases and the failure of the IPCC to reach agreement have given rise to a great deal of negative media reports. But is the impact of the all the negative publicity wearing…

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