• Question: why couldn't you research a way out of climate change or global warming? isnt it better to help millions of people at once rather than individualy?

    Asked by microcoolio to Darren, Deuan, Duncan, Lori-An, Michelle on 21 Jun 2010 in Categories: .
    • Photo: Darren Nesbeth

      Darren Nesbeth answered on 18 Jun 2010:

      We have to hedge our bets. Most research going today is toward an aim of helping millions of people. Some peoples’ skills are more suited to climate research than others.

    • Photo: Lori-An Etherington

      Lori-An Etherington answered on 21 Jun 2010:

      I think it is important to research an area that you find interesting and although more money and projects are aimed at trying to help millions of people, such as global warming (as you suggest) or cancer research, smaller projects are also important too. I am personally not interested in researching climate change or global warming although it is important that there are people out there who do. The chemicals that I am researching are aimed at trying to find a medicine which would help people with learning and memory problems (such as Alzheimers disease) and if a drug like this made it to market it could help 100,000s of people.

Comments

  • Photo: microcoolio

    microcoolio commented on :

    ok thanks

  • Photo: Daniel

    Daniel commented on :

    Microcoolio, this is a question I am frequently posing myself, usually in the shape of “Do I as a scientist have the right to follow my curiosity, even if it is clear that there are heavy problems waiting for profound and timely solutions?”

    Yet it is even more complicated than that – most of the global problems humanity faces as a whole require solutions from the science and technology side, but none of them can be solved from this side alone. Many of the problems related to global warming stem from cultural problems (e.g. the Tragedy of the Commons, to give you something to do a websearch on), and even if the solution is known technology-wise, this does not mean that it will be implemented (e.g. politicians might fear that such a law might impede their chances of getting re-elected).

    So this scientists us with the following options:
    (1) business as usual – everyone following their interests and the directions given by science funders
    (2) some scientists shifting focus from what they are good at to what is really important (though they may not be good at it)
    (3) some scientists going into politics (at which they may not be good)
    (4) any approaches mixed from the above ones (which would include some politicians going into science at least for a while)

    I think (4) is most desirable from the perspective of society as a whole, but I do not know of any mechanisms that would stimulate approaches 2 & 3. Funders like the Wellcome Trust (who supports I’m a Scientist) will have to play a crucial role in that.

  • Photo: microcoolio

    microcoolio commented on :

    @daniel since your very curious and concerned about this topic as well, do you have any ideas or solutions for global warming and climate change because this affects everyone.