SYMP 20-5
Connecting science and policy to improve resilience to natural disasters
Improving our resilience to natural disasters is a knowledge-intensive enterprise. Yet research from the field of science policy has identified consistent challenges in effectively linking environmental and social science with policy and decision making. Often, decision makers need specific information to aid in their planning, yet scientists often produce too much of the wrong kind of information, information that does not take into account the context-specific conditions of the problem, and information that may be useful but is not understood by decision makers. Can we do ‘better’ science that results in more useful information that policy makers are able to integrate more effectively into planning decisions?
Results/Conclusions
New research from a variety of fields suggests that we can shape research that results in more useful information. This talk identifies the challenges inherent in trying to link science with decision making, how some research organizations are changing the way they do research to produce more useful information, and concludes with suggestions for ways to collaborate with scientists who are willing to re-shape their research to better inform natural disaster planning and management.