Statement on the Integrity of Science in Times of Crisis

On September 24, 2020, the presidents of the U.S. National Academy of Sciences (NAS) and the U.S. National Academy of Medicine (NAM) issued a public statement expressing alarm over “the politicization of science” in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. The two Academy presidents were particularly concerned about political “overriding of evidence and advice from public health officials and derision of government scientists.” They concluded with “efforts to discredit the best science and scientists threaten the health and welfare of us all.” Their full statement can be found at https://www.nationalacademies.org/news/2020/09/nas-and-nam-presidents-alarmed-by-political-interference-in-science-amid-pandemic.

Effective response to disasters requires coherent and consistent leadership, communications, and integration of science, technology, and policy. The Board of Directors of the North American Alliance for Hazards and Disaster Research Institutes (NAAHDRI) fully supports the joint statement of the NAS and NAM presidents. We need to work collaboratively to harness the power of science, medicine, and public health to address the devastating global impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic and other threats to our safety, security, and livelihoods.

Signed,

  1. Richard Olson, Director, Extreme Events Institute and International Hurricane Research Center, Professor, Department of Politics and International Relations, Florida International University, USA
  2. David P. Eisenman, Director, UCLA Center for Public Health and Disasters, Professor-in-Residence, David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA/UCLA Jonathan and Karin Fielding School of Public Health, USA
  3. Melanie Gall, Co-Director, Center for Emergency Management and Homeland Security and Research Professor, School of Community Resources and Development, Watts College of Public Service and Community Solutions, Arizona State University, USA
  4. Karl Kim, Executive Director, National Disaster Preparedness Training Center, Professor of Urban and Regional Planning, University of Hawaii at Manoa, USA
  5. Paul Kovacs, Executive Director, Institute for Catastrophic Loss Reduction, Western University, Canada
  6. Jamie Brown Kruse, Director, Center for Natural Hazards Research and Distinguished Professor of Economics, East Carolina University, USA
  7. Selwyn E. Mahon, Medical Director, Caribbean Center for Disaster Medicine, American University of the Caribbean School of Medicine, Director, International Emergency Medical Services (EMS) Fellowship, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center Disaster Medicine Fellowship, USA
  8. John van de Lindt, Professor, Civil and Environmental Engineering, Colorado State University and Co-Director, Center for Risk-Based Community Resilience Planning, USA
October 26, 2020