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9 Societal Dialogue on Risks and Benefits
hosting scientific information, such as Wikipedia. The advancement of technology
has allowed for the layperson to generate and share scientific data using open-source
software and affordable measurement devices, and the growth of the internet and
shift toward open-access platforms has also placed new data in the hands of the
public. While there are some concerns about the accuracy and reliability of citizen
scientists (Nature, 2015), they have nevertheless become informed stakeholders in
risk-benefit discussions.
Examples of some of the most notable recent citizen science initiatives are
directly related to incidents of pollution caused by man-made technology, such
as local sampling of lead levels in drinking water following the widespread lead
contamination in Flint, Michigan, US (Flint Water Study, 2016), and measuring
long-term radiation levels in Japan following the Fukushima nuclear power plant
disaster (Beser, 2016). Review papers have been written on examples within
other fields (Wylie et al., 2017b,a; Brook and McLachlan, 2008), and the online
German platform Bürger schaffen Wissen (loosely translated as “Citizens Create
Knowledge”) (Bürger schaffen Wissen, 2019) is an example of a wider initiative to
promote citizen science and share results. Social media platforms have also become
important outlets for citizen scientists to share results and for citizens in general to
express their views of controversial technologies. Public data from social platforms
are even being used to examine and better understand these trends in public opinion
(Müller et al., 2019).
To support dialogue among such a diverse set of stakeholders, some neutral,
formally organized forums have been created for discussing the risks and benefits of
various technologies within society. In Switzerland, the Risk Dialogue Foundation
was founded in 1989 following highly visible accidents in the 1980s such as the
Chernobyl nuclear disaster, the Schweizerhalle chemical spill in Basel, and the
Challenger space shuttle explosion (Stiftung Risiko-Dialog, 2019). Since then it
has initiated and moderated several public discussions on topics such as energy
and network risks, nanotechnology, and genetic engineering. The Swiss government
has also organized public forums on topics such as nanotechnology (Swiss Federal
Office for Public Health, 2018).
In Germany, the organization Wissenschaft im Dialog (Science in Dialogue)
was founded in 1999 to improve the communication of science with the public
(Wissenschaft im Dialog, 2019). One of its activities is the creation of a discussion
platform called Die Debatte (The Debate) that organizes and hosts discussions with
various stakeholders on topics such as plastic waste, the collapse of bee populations,
and fine particulate air pollution (die Debatte, 2019). Through freely accessible
recorded debates, short publications, and public outreach, the platform aims to bring
scientific facts and perspectives into societal discussions on key issues.
9 Societal Dialogue on Risks and Benefits
hosting scientific information, such as Wikipedia. The advancement of technology
has allowed for the layperson to generate and share scientific data using open-source
software and affordable measurement devices, and the growth of the internet and
shift toward open-access platforms has also placed new data in the hands of the
public. While there are some concerns about the accuracy and reliability of citizen
scientists (Nature, 2015), they have nevertheless become informed stakeholders in
risk-benefit discussions.
Examples of some of the most notable recent citizen science initiatives are
directly related to incidents of pollution caused by man-made technology, such
as local sampling of lead levels in drinking water following the widespread lead
contamination in Flint, Michigan, US (Flint Water Study, 2016), and measuring
long-term radiation levels in Japan following the Fukushima nuclear power plant
disaster (Beser, 2016). Review papers have been written on examples within
other fields (Wylie et al., 2017b,a; Brook and McLachlan, 2008), and the online
German platform Bürger schaffen Wissen (loosely translated as “Citizens Create
Knowledge”) (Bürger schaffen Wissen, 2019) is an example of a wider initiative to
promote citizen science and share results. Social media platforms have also become
important outlets for citizen scientists to share results and for citizens in general to
express their views of controversial technologies. Public data from social platforms
are even being used to examine and better understand these trends in public opinion
(Müller et al., 2019).
To support dialogue among such a diverse set of stakeholders, some neutral,
formally organized forums have been created for discussing the risks and benefits of
various technologies within society. In Switzerland, the Risk Dialogue Foundation
was founded in 1989 following highly visible accidents in the 1980s such as the
Chernobyl nuclear disaster, the Schweizerhalle chemical spill in Basel, and the
Challenger space shuttle explosion (Stiftung Risiko-Dialog, 2019). Since then it
has initiated and moderated several public discussions on topics such as energy
and network risks, nanotechnology, and genetic engineering. The Swiss government
has also organized public forums on topics such as nanotechnology (Swiss Federal
Office for Public Health, 2018).
In Germany, the organization Wissenschaft im Dialog (Science in Dialogue)
was founded in 1999 to improve the communication of science with the public
(Wissenschaft im Dialog, 2019). One of its activities is the creation of a discussion
platform called Die Debatte (The Debate) that organizes and hosts discussions with
various stakeholders on topics such as plastic waste, the collapse of bee populations,
and fine particulate air pollution (die Debatte, 2019). Through freely accessible
recorded debates, short publications, and public outreach, the platform aims to bring
scientific facts and perspectives into societal discussions on key issues.