THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 20, 2001
Doubletree Hotel, Lowell
Dinner & Reception (5:30 PM – 7:30 PM)
Welcome (7:00 – 7:30 PM)
| • | Joel Tickner, Lowell Center for Sustainable Production, USA |
| • | David Kriebel/Ken Geiser, Lowell Center for Sustainable Production, USA |
Opening (7:30 PM – 9:30 PM)
| • | Why are we here? — Barry Commoner, Queens College, USA |
| • | NGO Panel: Framing the Need for the Precautionary Principle — Lee Ketelsen, Clean Water Fund, USA; Per Rosander, Kemi&Miljî AB, Sweden; Romeo Quijano, University of Philippines, Philippines |
Opening Questions
| 1. | What is activism/advocacy and how does it differ across countries? |
| 2. | How do advocates see the role of science and other considerations in decision-making under uncertainty, and what do they need from scientists? |
| 3. | What does precaution mean to advocates and why is precaution so important? |
FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 21, 2001
Boott Mill, Lowell
Welcome (9:00 – 9:15 AM)
| • | Chancellor William Hogan, University of Massachusetts, Lowell, USA |
Session I: Epistemology & Ethics (9:15 AM – 10:30 AM)
Goal: Lay out the scope of the problem – what we know and do not know – and discuss the implications of the ways we choose to act or not act in the face of uncertainty.
| • | Human rights and precaution — Juan Almendares, Honduras Health Exchange, Honduras |
| • | Ethics, science, and precaution — Matthias Kaiser, National Committee for Research Ethics in Science and Technology, Norway |
| • | Post-normal science and uncertainty — Silvio Funtowicz, European Commission, Joint Research Centre |
| • | Discussion |
Session I Questions
| 1. | What is the underlying rationale for scientific methods and policies that better support precaution? What is their ethical and scientific basis? |
| 2. | What are the implications of choosing to conduct research/act in a more precautionary way? |
| 3. | What is the nature of the problem and uncertainty that demands a different approach to science and policy? |
Break (10:30 – 11:00 AM)
Session II: Uncertainty, Science, and Precaution (11:00 AM – 12:30 PM)
Goal: Each of four small groups will be presented with two case studies/presentations that provide an understanding of various types of uncertainty. Groups will then discuss whether there is a framework to consider uncertainty in decision-making (types of uncertainty) and how uncertainty does and should influence public policy.
Group A — Ted Schettler, facilitator
| • | Chemicals — Finn Bro-Rasmussen, Denmark Technical University, Denmark |
| • | Biodiversity — Reginald Victor, Sultan Qaboos University, Oman |
Group B — Molly Anderson, facilitator
| • | Fisheries — Boyce Thorne-Miller, USA |
| • | Genetically modified organisms — Doreen Stabinsky, Greenpeace, USA |
Group C — Paul Epstein, facilitator
| • | Climate — Donald Brown, Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection, USA |
| • | Biodiversity — Kamaljit Bawa, University of Massachusetts Boston, USA |
Group D — Ruthann Rudel, facilitator
| • | Uncertainty and fundamental aspects of natural systems, — Joe Thornton, Columbia University, USA |
| • | Uncertainty and early evidence — Carl Cranor, University of California, Riverside |
Session II Questions
| 1. | What are the types of uncertainty found in the case studies? Is there a framework to group them? |
| 2. | How are these uncertainties typically dealt with in science and policy and how do they affect public policy decision-making? How were they addressed in the particular case studies? |
| 3. | How do the ways science is currently conducted for policy limit our ability to adequately address the problem of uncertainty and the need to make decisions? |
Lunch (12:30 PM –1:30 PM)
Introduction to Lowell and the Impacts of Industrialization — Peter O'Connell, Tsongas Industrial History Center, USA
Session III: Dealing with Uncertainty (1:30 PM – 3:30 PM)
Goal: To discuss tools and methods that scientists can promote for more effectively addressing uncertainty, acknowledging limitations, and supporting precautionary decisions.
Group A: Dick Clapp, facilitator
Group B: Polly Hoppin, facilitator
Group C: Tom Webster, facilitator
Group D: David Kriebel, facilitator
Session III Questions
| 1. | If you could have an unlimited research budget, what type of research questions would you ask, and what types of methods would you use? |
| 2. | If you could design a new graduate training program in environmental science and health, what courses would it include? |
| 3. | What types of agenda-setting questions would you want government agencies to ask of scientists? |
| 4. | If you could design a request for proposals on a subject, what questions would you want addressed? |
Break (3:30 PM – 4:00 PM)
Session IV: Science in Governance and Governance of Science (4:00 PM – 5:30 PM)
Goal: To discuss influences on science as used in policy and how the role and use of science differs across cultures.
| • | Translating scientific information into policy — Cato Ten Hallers-Tjabbes, Netherlands Institute of Sea Research, Netherlands |
| • | Science, precaution & law — Sheila Jasanoff, John F. Kennedy School of Government, USA |
| • | Globalization and precaution — Marissa de Guzman, University of the Philippines, Manila, Philippines |
| • | Discussion |
Session IV Questions
| 1. | How does the relationship between science and precaution differ between countries/cultures and how do we address these differences in scientific method and policy? |
| 2. | How can uncertain scientific information be more effectively translated into public policy recommendations? |
| 3. | What changes to law and policy are needed to support innovative methods in science that could support precautionary decisions? |
| 4. | How will growing globalization/harmonization affect the ability to promote new approaches to science and decision-making under uncertainty? |
Dinner (6:00 PM – 7:15 PM)
Public Forum at Lowell High School: Precaution and the Links between Science, Policy and Culture (7:30 PM – 9:30 PM)
| • | Introduction — Pamela Resor, Massachusetts Senate, USA | ||||
| • | Discussion on science, policy, and precaution — Vandana Shiva, Research Foundation for Science, Technology, and Ecology, India | ||||
| • | Respondents:
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SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 2001
Boott Mill, Lowell
Session V: Science for solutions — a new paradigm (9:00 AM – 10:45 AM)
Goal: To discuss new directions for science in supporting precaution
| • | Summary of small group discussions from previous day |
| • | Precautionary assessment: A framework for integrating, science, uncertainty, and preventive public policy — Joel Tickner, Lowell Center for Sustainable Production, USA |
| • | The science of alternatives assessment — Mary O'Brien, Science and Environmental Health Network, USA |
| • | Precaution in science education & design — Terry Collins, Carnegie Mellon University, USA |
Session V Questions
| 1. | What are some new directions for science that can support the development of solutions rather than simply the evaluation of problems? |
| 2. | How can precaution, prevention, and science be better integrated into decision-making structures? |
| 3. | How do we promote these new directions and innovative methods in education, the research agenda, and ultimate funding of science? |
Break (10:45 AM – 11:15 AM)
Session VI: Where to from here? (11:15 AM – 1:00 PM)
Goal: To discuss the framework of uncertainty, tools and methods, and role of science in governance explored the previous day, ways to move solutions forward, and next steps
Group 1: Phil Brown, facilitator
Group 2: Carolyn Raffensperger, facilitator
Group 3: John Wooding, facilitator
Group 4: Cathy Crumbley, facilitator
Session VI Questions
| 1. | What are concrete actions the scientific community can take in promoting a vision for science that supports precaution, and overcoming barriers? |
| 2. | What are some concrete principles the scientific community should consider in supporting precaution? |
| 3. | What are the concrete recommendations this summit/the scientific community should be promoting to advance science and precaution? |
Lunch (1:00 PM – 2:00 PM)
Session VII: Closing and next steps (2:00 PM – 3:00 PM)
Joel Tickner and David Kriebel, facilitators
| • | Summary of conclusions |
| • | Discussion of next steps |
| • | Precaution and new methods for science — Dick Levins, Harvard School of Public Health, USA |