Intergovernmental Responses

The rise of global science in the last 30 years has paralleled a shift in the role of science and scientists from pure advisors of how to put the cornucopia of scientific and technological advance to work, to a more ambivalent role, again foreshadowed by the concerns of scientists about the control of atomic devices. This new role is one in which, among other things, the long-term implications or complex outcomes of certain acti vities need to be considered. This ’early warning’ role was — and is — difficult and ambivalent for many scientists, since uncertainty is pivotal towards scientific endeavour. Furthermore, since public involvement and understanding are now seen as essential to creating a climate of support for science, scientists have had to enter into public fora, and learn to redescribe their often complex activities for a wider audience.