Article: Pathways for diversifying and enhancing science advocacy
Dr. Dana Fisher is the director of the Center for Environment, Community, and Equity at AU and a professor in the School of International Service. Her research focuses on democracy, activism, and climate politics, recently centering on climate protests and the Civilian Climate Corps. Dr. Fisher has authored over 75 research papers and has written six books, with a new book, Saving Ourselves: From Climate Shocks to Climate Action, releasing early next year.
In May 2023, she co-authored a paper, titled Pathways for diversifying and enhancing science advocacy, which explored the ways that scientists can increase the impact of their mobilization. In this work, they review a range of relevant scientific literature, from fields including sociology, public health, and political science, to broaden the view of science advocacy.
Dr. Fisher and her collaborators argue that the key to increasing science advocacy political influence is diverse coalition building. By embracing diversity, the science advocacy movement can assert that they represent many groups, giving them greater political strength in the eyes of lawmakers. Additionally, they discuss keys and challenges to science advocacy political influence, including transparent data and science, leadership and effective organizing, and public engagement.
In the face of ongoing attacks to the credibility of science, it has become critical to enhance the political impact of science advocacy. Dr. Fisher’s research displays a potential solution to this problem, and acknowledges that further research, perhaps addressing data constraints or exploring generational variations, remains beneficial.
You can read more here: https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/sciadv.abq4899
