Kurt Gottfried: Making policy in an era of conflicts 'between reality and ideology'

Kurt Gottfried, emeritus professor of physics and chairman of the Union of Concerned Scientists, at the AAAS annual meeting in Washington, D.C. Feb. 20. David Brand

By David Brand

The chairman of the Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS), a group that often acts as the conscience of U.S. science, believes that there is a conflict in government "between reality and ideology."

Speaking at a news briefing at the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) in Washington, D.C., on Feb. 20, Kurt Gottfried, professor emeritus of physics at Cornell, declared: "The distortion of scientific knowledge for political purposes we see today is part of a larger effort to give ideology primacy over pragmatism and objectivity. The friction this trend is producing is most visible where science and politics meet, for that is where the conflict between reality and ideology is most difficult to ignore."

Gottfried, who earlier in the day had discussed "The Politicization of Science" at an AAAS seminar, was a cofounder of the UCS and has served on its board since its inception and as chairman since 1999. He has played an important role in the UCS campaign to restore scientific integrity to the federal government's formulation of policy.

Last year he played a lead role in the issuing of two UCS reports, both accusing the Bush administration of suppressing and manipulating research and of replacing members of scientific advisory committees with industry-connected or ideologically friendly panelists.

Last week, under his jurisdiction, the UCS reported on conditions "well below the surface," Gottfried said at the news briefing. "In collaboration with Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility, UCS released a survey of all 1,410 scientists in the Ecological Service of the Fish and Wildlife Service -- the professionals who, by law, have the responsibility to monitor and study the condition of America's animal species and habitats."

The survey was carried out, he said, "Because for two years we had heard from many scientists in government that they are under pressure from political appointees to not candidly report findings that contradict administration policy.

"In the case of Fish and Wildlife, the hot button issue is the Endangered Species Act, which has many enemies in powerful quarters."

Gottfried said that "despite warnings from their supervisors to not respond, even on their own time, 29 percent of the 1,440 Ecological Service scientists did respond; 42 percent felt they could not express their science-based concerns in public without fear of retaliation, and 30 percent said that they could not even do so inside the agency."