Atmospheric Science and Environmental Politics

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9310892 Edwards A central focus for research about the interactions of science, technology and social institutions concerns the roles of science and social movements in shaping the conceptual construction, public debate, and political resolution of social problems. This Professional Development Fellowship will provide an investigator who specializes in this research area with a year of training and research in atmospheric science, particularly climatology and climate modeling. It is designed to help him answer two questions: how atmospheric scientists are shaping social response and responsiveness to global environmental problems, and how, reciprocally, the political debates around these problems are shaping atmospheric science. The training program includes coursework, tutorial instruction and literature review under the guidance of host scientists. Research plans include attending conferences, undertaking laboratory visits and interviews, observation of the appearances of atmospheric scientists before public agencies and NGOs, and interviews with representatives of these groups. The investigator will also research and analyze three important cases of scientific models influencing global environmental policy debates: (a) the 1972 Limits to Growth study of the Club of Rome, (b) the 1987 Montreal Protocol and its several successor agreements, and (c) the 1992 UNCED Rio global environmental summit. The training and research provide the basis for future comparative studies of other similar social phenomena. Since this is a training grant, publications are not the primary goal. Nonetheless, the investigator plans to complete a number of articles and possibly develop some joint publications with his hosts. ***