Prof Christina Pagel
@chrischirp.bsky.socialThread on need to fight for evidence-based policy - a response to Trump's cabinet picks.
Based on new @bmj.com article by me, @martinmckee.bsky.social & @kentbuse.bsky.social
TLDR: Now is the time to stand up for science, not appease those in power attacking it
www.bmj.com 1/14
Trump's cabinet picks are a horror show for science. People who minimise climate change and environmental protections at the environment, Putin & Assad apologists in Defence & intelligence, vaccine & 5G conspiracy theorists at health.
They don't just ignore evidence, they actively reject it. 2/14
The potential consequences for US policy are dire. But the fundamental issue isn't just the policy choices but how they are arrived at.
Because even the more palatable touted policies (e.g. tackling processed food industry) are based on ideology and/or enrichment and not evidence. 3/14
When policymakers at the highest levels flatly deny well-established evidence, embrace conspiracy theories, and weaponize culture wars to undermine scientific discourse, chaos and disaster ensue.
How do you implement any policy coherently if you ignore evidence on what works? & what is true? 4/14
Trump and his cabinet represent a profound threat to science *and* to scientists.
Musk and others have been targeting Fauci for years. Several others have called for action against universities. RFK Jr has medical journals in his sights. 5/14
The Trump team are moving quickly to undermine or dismantle important bodies like the Food and Drug Administration, The Centers for Disease Control, the Environment and Protection Agency, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
This will have consequences far beyond his term. 6/14
As we discovered with Brexit, it's far easier to break something than to fix it - especially if done in haste and in anger. 7/x
US scientists & professional bodies face stark choices. Some will become cheerleaders for the new regime. Some will keep their heads down and hope to wait it out. Others will quietly shift their research away from blacklisted topics. University leaders will feel enormous pressure to keep quiet 8/14
We've already seen this with gun violence research in the US since the 1990s. Will climate science, infectious disease research, social determinants of health go the same way? Unviersities are already shutting their disinformation research programmes under attack from republicans. 9/14
1. Support our US colleagues.
This could be amplifying their work, including them on international grants, hosting research visits or fellowships, supporting job moves.
2. We must work to ensure that evidence is at heart of UK policy. How can we guarantee robust research-policy pipelines? 11/14
3. We must continue to critique and debunk US guidance and policy that goes against evidence and is not scientifically rigorous. We will face far fewer consequences than our US colleagues for doing so. 12/14
4. We must confront dinsinformation and more, disdain for science, wherever we encounter it. We cannot afford to “stay in our lane.”
We must move beyond producing evidence; we must become its advocates and protectors. Our collective voice and courage are more critical than ever. 13/14
Populist extremists around the world will be watching the US and adopting its strategy. Science is on the chopping block and we can't let that happen.
Read the full piece here at @bmj.com
www.bmj.com
14/14
Evidence abandoned: Trump’s cabinet and the fallout for science
Trump’s presumptive cabinet raises fears for population health given its anti-science bias. Christina Pagel and colleagues argue that the UK scientific establishment should practice solidarity and res...
www.bmj.com