Living on Cape Cod we are accustomed to life on shifting sands. It is hard to live on a sandbar amidst both rising tides and the relentless pounding of the surf and to not at least be aware of the transience of everything. Reconciling our minds with this reality requires, to continue the nautical metaphors, seeking safe harbor or mooring in things that give us comfort and stability.
For some that stability comes from an association with a place, others find it in family, religion, science, civic groups, and friend groups. The list goes on, is often overlapping, but I think we all share some desire for an ordered belief system that helps us process the noise. The speed of change in today’s world has become chaotic to me, and there is value in recognizing and acknowledging that at this moment in time things feel different—very different.
While an advocacy organization, APCC has always, and proudly, anchored itself by pursuing policies that reflected our best understanding of how the natural world functions. While science continues to expand and improve our understanding of complex natural systems, we have remained open to adjusting our advocacy based on the best science, wherever it leads. This approach has been predicated on an inherent and often unspoken belief that the process of scientific discovery, as practiced in this country, yielded quality and actionable results. Science doesn’t settle everything; there is always a need and ability to know more.
The application of informed learning in policy and regulation has always been imperfect, but there was no doubt that science was expanding our knowledge base and improving the quality of life for humanity—until now.
Little is changing faster than this country’s relationship with, and application of, science. The changes run the gamut from what research will be funded, who will be funded, what research is important, what information gathering will be continued and what will be terminated, and how information will be processed, released, and applied. The changes we are undergoing now are rapid, poorly understood, and have huge ramifications for environmental protection, medical science, and all of society. It does feel as though some of the foundations relied upon to make sense of the disorder are no longer built on bedrock, but rapidly shifting sands. It feels scary because it is.
This all has given me a headache. Now, what to take for it…?
