CSLDF Events at the 2021 ESA Annual Meeting

We are excited to hold two virtual events at the Ecological Society of America Annual Meeting this year — a workshop and a roundtable:

1) Workshop: How Scientists Can Help Restore Scientific Integrity and Advocate for Science-Based Policy

Join us for a virtual discussion on Wednesday, August 4, from 12 to 1:30 PM PDT. The event is free for all meeting attendees.

With the change to the pro-science Biden administration, many researchers want to help restore science to its rightful place and ensure that it informs policy decisions. This session, led by attorneys from the Climate Science Legal Defense Fund (CSLDF), focuses on how principles of scientific freedom and academic integrity can help scientists further these goals.

Our discussion will include what constitutes scientific integrity violations at federal agencies, universities, and other research institutions and how those entities handle scientific integrity complaints. We’ll talk about how to strengthen institutional scientific integrity policies and provide tips to help scientists navigate the process of doing so. And we’ll discuss the interface of academic freedom principles and scientific integrity and how scientists can rely on academic freedom rights to help them advocate for science.

Session Summary

In this session, we’ll discuss how scientists can use institutional scientific integrity policies and principles of academic freedom to advocate for science and evidence-based policy-making.

Organizer & Speaker:
Augusta Wilson – Climate Science Legal Defense Fund

2) Roundtable Discussion: Climate Science in the Courtroom: Being an Expert Witness

Thursday, August 5, 2021
12:00 – 1:00 PM PST/3:00 -4:00 PM EST

Moderator: Augusta Wilson, Climate Science Legal Defense Fund

Scientists from numerous disciplines can act as expert witnesses in climate-related cases. While this can be an exciting opportunity to participate in the legal process, the prospect of doing so can be intimidating. And there’s a great deal for scientists to know as the need for their participation in climate litigation expands.  This roundtable discussion, led by an attorney from the Climate Science Legal Defense Fund and based on our organization’s ten years of experience working at the intersection of science and the law, will focus on trends related to the use of science in the growing climate litigation arena. We will address how science has affected the decisions and outcomes in specific cases and how that has changed over time. We will also cover what this means for scientists who wish to participate in climate cases, what scientists should expect when acting as an expert witness, and advice for working with attorneys.