HOW TO USE YOUR GEOTECHNICAL TRANSLATION SKILLS TO ENGAGE POLICY-MAKERS AND PROMOTE THE INCLUSION OF THE GEOSCIENCE PERSPECTIVE

The disconnect between public policy and geoscience is often the result of policy-makers and geoscientists speaking in different languages and pursuing different goals. Elected officials must consider a broad range of inputs and anticipate a wide variety of societal impacts when developing legislation or administrative rules; science is but one input among many. Elected officials speak the language of policy, where precisely defined terms and phrases are used to minimize uncertainty of intent. Geoscientists also consider a broad range of inputs and seek to anticipate a wide variety of impacts (including societal); however, the inputs are constrained as much as possible. Geoscientists speak the language of science, which is permeated with technical terminology that can make eyes glaze over and discussions of uncertainty that can make policy-makers wary or dismissive. The uncertainty that drives geoscientists to further investigation of earth process is one of geology’s biggest deficits when it comes to influencing policy-makers who desire clear direction from scientific research.

Geotechnical studies may be developed by independent researchers, resource developers, or opponents of development. Studies with different goals may all reach valid conclusions that can be seen as complimentary to the geoscientist while appearing to be contradictory to the layperson. When taken as contradictory, studies are often used to cancel each other out, allowing policy-makers the apparent freedom to pursue solutions without regard to consequences that might be obvious to the geoscientist. In order to assist policy-makers, geoscientists must be willing to review a wide range of relevant geotechnical materials and then discuss the meaning and impact with legislators and other political leaders. Policy-makers are especially interested in the implications of various scenarios, the questions that are likely to arise as policies are developed, and the “big picture” painted by the available body of knowledge. To be useful, the geoscientist must speak in plain language, understand that non-scientific inputs will be considered, and describe unreservedly the benefits and downsides of both the preferred course of action and policies that are seen as unwise.