Future Geosciences
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f us, grew up in the days with the leitsatze of free play of free intellect by Vannewar Bush. With time, products based on scientific discoveries made lives comfortable, ensured security and thereby the impact of science was felt by the society. Technologies based on scientific innovation pervaded lives as ether. Increased information, enhanced comfort and rapid communications gradually raised expectations of continued delivery from science and that too, in real time. And, the society also began having views on science. Prediction of rainfall or cyclones or earthquakes are examples, where each forecast is censured widely for its successes or failures and, instant judgment on science and scientists are pronounced. This missing trust has initiated debates about who should be managing science – the scientists or the society, through its representatives. The argument put forward is that being a party to scientific process, scientists cannot objectively evaluate their science and a third party evaluation is called for. This encroachment on science/education management space is currently happening. Recent developments in geosciences and medical sciences, both at the national and international levels, provide ample indications. The ‘perceived’ failure of scientists in anticipating the COVID pandemic and inadequacies in properly advising on handling it, for whatever reasons, is an example of such an encroachment. Consequently, the science management space is being increasingly appropriated by nonscientists and pseudo-scientists, willing to compromise the long term science based solutions to facilitate short term gains – personal or political. In this pandemic, the society has constantly experienced deficiencies of reliable information. One often found conflicting statements on the science of the pandemic, its management and even the vaccination. Academia at each level could not measure up to the challenge of communicating science, effectively and timely. And, to add to their woes, has been a deluge of research publications on COVID - 19 over the past few months. Their numbers make it humanly impossible to synthesize them for global good. Much of this science has possibly been opportunistic, driven more by the anxieties for rapid fixes and solutions, buttressed by relaxed funding and ease of publications. The copious volume of science on the Global Change has been no different. This is also buttressed by the pressure of publications and the ease of funding for a globally acclaimed, bandwagon science. There is a clear message for us here – to self-assess the value of the science that we do and its significance for the real world and for advancing the true frontiers. Expectations on either sides have been accentuated. Today, science and its practitioners seeks more support for research and the society demands more science per dollar in return. In ancient times, the knowledge bases of an individual and that of
DOI: 10.1007/s12594-020-1600-3
the society were similar – largely based on local knowledge/ information/data. The dec
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