Scientifi c Counterpublics: In defense of the environmental scientist as public intellectual

I argue that environmental scientists who made their fi ndings public played a critical role in convincing the government to regulate CFCs. These scientists functioned as counterpublic intellectuals: by standing in opposition to a public of well funded and powerful industrial lobbyists, by constituting public discourse through task forces and government testimony, and by rhetorically participating in multiple (scientifi c and lay) publics.