ABSTRACT
Environment is one-tenth science and nine-tenths politics. Scientists, like journalists, see themselves as standing apart from the world of politics. The uncertainty that is at the source of science's alienation from lawmakers and the media no doubt unnerves the public as well, who encounter it in their daily lives. This chapter looks at the relationship between scientists and lawmakers, who work in very different ways and have very different missions. The political role of science in public policymaking is by no means confined to the halls of government. The relationship between science and the media is as problematic as that between science and lawmakers. Because of the primacy of "newsworthiness" in the world of communications, what the media hope to get from scientists are breakthrough developments, pioneering findings, significant firsts, and bold predictions of significant consequences resulting from environmental conditions or threats.
