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Debbie Elliott: Today a prominent NASA scientist went public with his concerns that the government is trying to stifle1 his public statements about climate change.James Hansen told the New York Times and the Washington Post that the space agency has sometimes gotten in the way when he has wanted to speak to reporters about his views on how to slow global warming. He also told NPR his concern that science could fall victim to politics. NPR science correspondent Richard Harris joins me now to discuss this story.Welcome ,Richard.
Richard Harris: Thanks, Debbie.
Debbie Elliott: You spoke2 with James Hansen earlier today, what case did he make to you?
Richard Harris: Well, this is an ongoing3 story. There had been numerous instances of this, but Dr Hansen said in his view it's getting worse and worse as time goes on and the story he told me today had to do with the speech he gave in San Francisco in December, which started out being a speech about the atmosphere and how much it can warm before the earth suffers some irreversible changes. But at the end of his speech, he turned into very personal views and he said (quote)"the special interests seek/ to maintain short-term profits with little regard to either / the long-term impact on the planet that will be inherited by our children and grandchildren, or the long-term economic well-being4 of our country."So clearly he had left the realm of science and was deeply in the world of policy , politics, personal view and so on here, and a reporter wanted to talk to him about it, and NASA said, no,no,no,no, please don't talk to Dr Hansen about this. Why don't you talk to his boss's boss or somebody like this in / headquarters, who actually had nothing to do with climate science, this of course upset Dr Hansen, who felt his views were being stifled5.
Debbie Elliott: Who exactly is James Hansen?
Richard Harris: Hansen is a very well-known climate scientist. He runs an institute called the NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies in New York City, and he has done some of the pioneering work in understanding a lot of mechanisms6 of global climate change, so he is a very credible7, very serious scientist, he's very highly regarded in the field of climate change.
Debbie Elliott: Now he is claiming that officials are trying to stop him from talking publicly,but NASA officials are disputing those claims. They say government scientists are free to discuss scientific findings but can't make statements about policy. What's the distinction between the two?
Richard Harris: It is a ,it is a slippery slope where you draw the line. In his speech in San Francisco, clearly, there is a scientific background that says we have to worry, and we have to worry soon in terms of prescriptions8 for what to do the administration could make an argument, well, you know, he is not the one to say whether we should have better auto-efficiency standards or how to do it.
Debbie Elliott: Now, is this an isolated9 case because of what he said during the speech or has this been a recurring10 problem this tension between policy makers11 and scientists?
Richard Harris: Every administration really has had some sort of rules about talk about your science, but don't talk about the policy implications of it. I think it's also fair to say that some administrations have been much better at enfrocing these rules than others have and this one does it with a great deal of va-va-voom if you will, not just NASA but certainly other organizations I've spoken to. People who work for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric12 Administration (ur) often are told - watch what you say or the agency will put a handler on the line supposedly for the protection of the scientist against vicious reporters such as myself, but clearly it also has the effect of making the scientists' extremely careful about what they say, cause, they know what they're saying is gonna be reported immediately up to chain of command.
Debbie Elliott: What impact does that have on their work?
Richard Harris: Well, I ask Dr Hansen whether he ever felt that he was unable to at least publish his findings in the scientific literature, and he said no, he's never felt like he's restricted from, from publishing his results, but what he does say is that publishing the results isn't the same as communicating directly to the public, and that's what he's seeing in the clampdown.
Debbie Elliott: NPR science correspondent Richard Harris, thanks for talking with us.
Richard Harris: My pleasure.
WORDS AND EXPRESSIONS
stifle to stop sth from happening or developing
slippery slope a situation or habit that is likely to lead to a worse situation or habit.
clampdown 压制
Richard Harris: Thanks, Debbie.
Debbie Elliott: You spoke2 with James Hansen earlier today, what case did he make to you?
Richard Harris: Well, this is an ongoing3 story. There had been numerous instances of this, but Dr Hansen said in his view it's getting worse and worse as time goes on and the story he told me today had to do with the speech he gave in San Francisco in December, which started out being a speech about the atmosphere and how much it can warm before the earth suffers some irreversible changes. But at the end of his speech, he turned into very personal views and he said (quote)"the special interests seek/ to maintain short-term profits with little regard to either / the long-term impact on the planet that will be inherited by our children and grandchildren, or the long-term economic well-being4 of our country."So clearly he had left the realm of science and was deeply in the world of policy , politics, personal view and so on here, and a reporter wanted to talk to him about it, and NASA said, no,no,no,no, please don't talk to Dr Hansen about this. Why don't you talk to his boss's boss or somebody like this in / headquarters, who actually had nothing to do with climate science, this of course upset Dr Hansen, who felt his views were being stifled5.
Debbie Elliott: Who exactly is James Hansen?
Richard Harris: Hansen is a very well-known climate scientist. He runs an institute called the NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies in New York City, and he has done some of the pioneering work in understanding a lot of mechanisms6 of global climate change, so he is a very credible7, very serious scientist, he's very highly regarded in the field of climate change.
Debbie Elliott: Now he is claiming that officials are trying to stop him from talking publicly,but NASA officials are disputing those claims. They say government scientists are free to discuss scientific findings but can't make statements about policy. What's the distinction between the two?
Richard Harris: It is a ,it is a slippery slope where you draw the line. In his speech in San Francisco, clearly, there is a scientific background that says we have to worry, and we have to worry soon in terms of prescriptions8 for what to do the administration could make an argument, well, you know, he is not the one to say whether we should have better auto-efficiency standards or how to do it.
Debbie Elliott: Now, is this an isolated9 case because of what he said during the speech or has this been a recurring10 problem this tension between policy makers11 and scientists?
Richard Harris: Every administration really has had some sort of rules about talk about your science, but don't talk about the policy implications of it. I think it's also fair to say that some administrations have been much better at enfrocing these rules than others have and this one does it with a great deal of va-va-voom if you will, not just NASA but certainly other organizations I've spoken to. People who work for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric12 Administration (ur) often are told - watch what you say or the agency will put a handler on the line supposedly for the protection of the scientist against vicious reporters such as myself, but clearly it also has the effect of making the scientists' extremely careful about what they say, cause, they know what they're saying is gonna be reported immediately up to chain of command.
Debbie Elliott: What impact does that have on their work?
Richard Harris: Well, I ask Dr Hansen whether he ever felt that he was unable to at least publish his findings in the scientific literature, and he said no, he's never felt like he's restricted from, from publishing his results, but what he does say is that publishing the results isn't the same as communicating directly to the public, and that's what he's seeing in the clampdown.
Debbie Elliott: NPR science correspondent Richard Harris, thanks for talking with us.
Richard Harris: My pleasure.
WORDS AND EXPRESSIONS
stifle to stop sth from happening or developing
slippery slope a situation or habit that is likely to lead to a worse situation or habit.
clampdown 压制
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stifle
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| vt.使窒息；闷死；扼杀；抑止，阻止 | |
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2
spoke
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| n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说 | |
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3
ongoing
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| adj.进行中的，前进的 | |
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4
well-being
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| n.安康，安乐，幸福 | |
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5
stifled
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| （使）窒息， （使）窒闷( stifle的过去式和过去分词 )； 镇压，遏制； 堵 | |
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6
mechanisms
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| n.机械( mechanism的名词复数 )；机械装置；[生物学] 机制；机械作用 | |
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7
credible
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| adj.可信任的，可靠的 | |
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8
prescriptions
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| 药( prescription的名词复数 )； 处方； 开处方； 计划 | |
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9
isolated
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| adj.与世隔绝的 | |
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10
recurring
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| adj.往复的，再次发生的 | |
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11
makers
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| n.制造者，制造商（maker的复数形式） | |
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12
atmospheric
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| adj.大气的，空气的；大气层的；大气所引起的 | |
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