Why science literacy matters: Bob McDonald

The good news this weekthatCanadians are topswhen it comes to understanding science in themedia is encouraging, but there is still a long way to go when it comes to making policy decisions thatinvolve science.

Science is a powerful tool that tries to understand how the universe works. It doesn't ask why theuniverse is here; that's a philosophical or theological question. Science is only interested in themechanics of nature and how systems relate to each other.

Think of science as a pair of glasses that you put on, and when you look around at the same world thateveryone else sees, the ordinary becomes extraordinary.

• Canadians' science literacy ranks 1st among 35 countries

A green leaf becomes an energy factory thatturns sunlight directly into food for the plant. You can see down to the infinitesimally small worldwithin an atom and discover the powerful forces at work there. You look up and see billions of otherworlds, exploding stars, galaxies, out to the edge of the universe and back to the beginning of time. Anodd-shaped rock becomes the leg bone of a giant creature that walked the Earth, long before humanity.

Perhaps most importantly, science sees relationships, theinterconnectednessbetween systems.Oceancurrents affect weather patterns, the weather affects life on land, volcanoes cool the climate.

As thegreat American naturalistJohnMuirwrote: "When we try to pick out anything by itself, we find it hitchedto everything else in the Universe."

Most decisions we make in this country involve some aspect of science. That's why science literacyis important for business people, politicians and everyone who votes.

Now, it seems that humanity is picking out just about everything in sight and affecting everything elseon the planet.

And that's why we need science to see those effects and remind ourselves that we are anintimate part of the whole system.

I had the pleasure of exploring the waters of the West Coast this summer, sharing the journey withseals, sea otters, humpback whales and countless other creatures in the sea and within old growthforests.

Part of the trip included HaidaGwaii, formerly the Queen Charlotte Islands, which lie 130 kilometresoff the B.C. coast. At the Haida Heritage Centre, in the small town ofSkidegate, representatives fromParks Canada gave an excellent presentation on the unique biology and cultural history of the southerntip of the island chain known as the GwaiiHaanasNational Marine Conservation Reserve Area andHaida Heritage Site.Ancient totem polesfrom thousands of years of native occupation, and a rich diversity of land and marine life, have earnedthe area the nickname, Galapagos of the North.

Following the presentation, I asked about any restrictions on bringing our sailboat into the area. I wastold we would have to take a 90-minute course on where not to anchor, how to deal with discharges(none of any kind is allowed), even when not to use the anchor light at the top of the mast, because itmight interfere with migrating birds.

I was impressed that Parks Canada is taking such good care of thisprecious bio-reserve.

Then I looked at a map and saw that the parade of oil tankers that are supposed to carry bitumen from the proposed Enbridge pipeline will pass just south of that same site.

My sailboat needs a special permit, but tankers carrying hazardous cargo are OK?

A single tanker spill would devastate the area.Isit any wonder the Haida people are totally opposed to the project?

This is just one example of how we need science literacy to be part of decisions we make about energy,water, food, population in fact, just about anything we do. In this country recently, the voice ofgovernment science has been muzzled, so resource extraction can happen more easily. That is short-term thinking.

Most decisions we make in this country involve some aspect of science. That's why science literacyis important for business people, politicians and everyone who votes.

Let's let science be a voiceof reason, not to stop progress, but to proceed in a sustainable way that is good for this incrediblybeautiful and interconnected system that we live in.