ABSTRACT
Environmentalists, governmental and non-governmental, use scientific arguments to support their campaigns and politicians justify their actions with ‘hard’ scientific fact. Yearley made the observation in support of his call for social scientists to pay more attention to environmental policy. This chapter uses similar arguments to explain why there is an urgent need for those involved in drafting, implementing and enforcing environmental legislation to understand the scientific foundations for environmental policy. Despite Yearley’s assertion as to the increased importance of science, and scientists, in the development of environmental policy, it is important to remember that the law is made by politicians and that, for the most part, these are not scientists. The chapter considers two far more sophisticated legal formulations of science, namely the second sulphur protocol of the UN ECE Transboundary Air Pollution Convention and the EC Habitats Directive.
