PNNL

Abstract

Most people, including those involved in environmental research, believe that science can provide objective facts about environmental problems and that these problems can be successfully solved by policies that are based on sound, objective scientific data. It is the purpose of this paper to show that it is intrinsically impossible to carry out objective and value-free scientific research and that, in fact, all environmental science is inherently biased by subjective opinions and values. This, in turn, has significant consequences with respect to the effectiveness of environmental policies. It is clear that bias in scientific research readily translates into biased and therefore ineffective environmental policies. In this paper, three types of bias, namely self-interest bias, institutional bias, and socio-cultural bias, and their effects on public policy, will be examined and discussed. Self-interest bias exists when a researcher, instead of being solely motivated by the search for scientific truth, tries to gain a personal benefit or advantage from the performance of scientific research. Institutional bias occurs because "every institution directs its activities to the perpetuation of its own power and to a narrow range of objectives and missions" (Barbour, 1980). Socio-cultural bias is reflected by the fact that most research is narrowly focused only on the mechanistic understanding of natural phenomena since this type of mechanistic knowledge can readily be used to exploit nature for the "benefit of mankind".