Translating Science into Law: Risk and Uncertainty in Science-Policy Interfaces

科学家们一再强调应对环境退化和全球变暖采取行动的紧迫性。在国际环境法领域，科学-政策接口(SPI)是任何多边环境协定(MEA)的基石，因为它们是将科学转化为法律的论坛。因此，SPI是国际环境法中的重要机构，为如何根据科学知识重塑法律义务提供了关键见解。我的研究着眼于自然科学的不同投入，它们具体的风险和不确定性论述被重新定义为法律术语，以及给予它们的权重是否相同。我的博士研究回答了这样一个问题：科学知识是如何在科学-政策接口上转化为法律义务的？为了回答这个问题，我的研究采取了社会法律的方法，通过环境法与社会科学和自然科学的互动来考察环境法。经验性研究，即案例研究和对SPI成员的半结构化访谈，将支持这些发现。这份材料将展示如何将风险和不确定性的论述整合到科学报告、调查结果、政策文件和科学倡议中--加以限定和量化。因此，这项研究旨在了解SPI的决策过程，并弥合经常被忽视的科学和法律之间的鸿沟。

The urgency to act on environmental degradation andglobal warming has been stressed time and again byscientists. In the field of international environmental law,science-policy interfaces (SPIs) represent the keystone ofany Multilateral Environmental Agreement (MEA) as theyare the fora where science is translated into law. Thus, SPIsare important bodies within international environmentallaw that provide key insight on how legal obligations areshaped out of scientific knowledge. My research looks athow different inputs from natural sciences and theirspecific risk and uncertainty discourse are redefined intolegal terminology and whether the weight given to them isthe same. My doctoral research answers the question 'howis scientific knowledge translated into legal obligations inscience-policy interfaces?' To answer this, my researchtakes a socio-legal approach, examining environmental lawthrough its interaction with social and natural sciences.Empirical research, namely case studies and semistructured interviews with SPI members, will come supportthese findings. This material will show how the discourse ofrisk and uncertainty is integrated - qualified and quantified- in scientific reports, findings, policy documents andrecommendations within SPIs. This research thus aims tounderstand the process of decision-making in SPIs and tobridge the gap often overlooked between science and law.