Tag Archives: Union of Concerned Scientists

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Support Union of Concerned Scientists

10/17/2012 Nativegrl77

Union of Concerned Scientists

See UCS climate scientist Dr. Brenda Ekwurzel correct the climate science inaccuracies on a six-foot-tall Wall Street Journal op-ed.

Fighting Misinformation about Climate Science

Fox News Channel and the Wall Street Journal Opinion pages are overwhelmingly misleading when it comes to climate science. Not surprised? When UCS reviewed references to climate science in those two news outlets, we found it was even worse than we thought.
Our snapshot analysis shows that over a six-month period at Fox News Channel, 93 percent of the references to climate science were misleading. In one year on the Wall Street Journal Opinion pages, 81 percent of the references were misleading.
Last month, we released the findings of this snapshot analysis at a series of events in New York City, finishing the day by delivering nearly 20,000 comments from UCS supporters to the headquarters of News Corporation, which owns Fox News and the Wall Street Journal, asking them to stop failing science and improve how they represent climate science.
Watch the video of UCS climate scientist Dr. Brenda Ekwurzel correcting the climate science inaccuracies on a six-foot tall Wall Street Journal op-ed in Bryant Park.

She and other UCS staff were joined by dozens of UCS supporters who stamped the op-ed “Not Science” and filled out postcards to News Corp.
Thank you to everyone who took action and spread the word about our findings.

If you haven’t yet, please be sure you ask News Corp. to stop failing science!
Sincerely,

Jean Sideris Outreach Coordinator Climate & Energy Program Union of Concerned Scientists

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Overturn Citizen’s United

10/16/2012 Nativegrl77

In 2012, the Supreme Court reaffirmed its controversial Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission decision, allowing corporations to spend unlimited amounts of money to influence elections. This decision, coupled with loopholes in current law, means that currently there’s essentially no requirement that corporations report their unlimited political spending. This allows them to anonymously confuse the public on science and delay action on critical public health and environmental protections.
Right now, our friends at Public Citizen are working to overturn this ruling, and they need your help. Sign Public Citizen’s petition calling for a constitutional amendment to overturn Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission today. Here at the Union of Concerned Scientists, collaboration is a guiding principle. We partner with many of the nation’s leading scientists, unions, public interest and environmental organizations, and decision-makers in government to achieve our common goal: a cleaner, healthier environment and a safer world. Today we’re partnering with Public Citizen to encourage you to fight back against efforts to undermine our democratic system.
Don’t let special interests inappropriately influence public policy and pollute the national dialogue on scientific issues like climate change and energy production—sign the petition today.
Sincerely,

Michael Halpern National Field Organizer UCS Center for Science and Democracy

~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

Science and the presidential election

10/05/2012 Nativegrl77

Union of Concerned Scientists

Science and the Presidential Election

Well, the first presidential debate is over, and barely a word was said about science. So how would the candidates use science to inform the decisions they make?
This summer, the Union of Concerned Scientists teamed up with Science Debate and many other scientific organizations—including the National Academies of Science, the American Association for the Advancement of Science, and the American Physical Society—to come up with fourteen science policy questions for the presidential candidates. Read the answers that President Obama and Governor Romney provided.
Ask Your Own Questions

UCS also joined a suite of government transparency organizations to put together 10 questions you can ask candidates at any level about how they would ensure that we know more about how government makes decisions—and on what basis. These questions cover a lot of ground, from freedom-of-information laws, to whistleblower protection, to how to follow the money the government spends. Read the questions and consider approaching candidates who are campaigning near you.
Register to Vote

Election Day is November 6, and in some states, the registration deadline is swiftly approaching. Turbovote provides a quick and easy way to register (or update your voter registration) in any state.
At the site, you can also request and absentee ballot or sign up for reminders. Voter requirements have changed in some states, too, so head over to Turbovote and make sure you’re registered and have the necessary documents to vote. In many states, you can also confirm that you are registered online.
Happy voting!
Sincerely,

Michael Halpern

National Field Organizer Center for Science and Democracy Union of Concerned Scientists

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UCS – September 25: Center for Science and Democracy symposium

09/06/2012 Nativegrl77

Lewis M. Branscomb Science and Democracy Forum Symposium: Improving Citizen Access to Governmental Scientific Information

The Union of Concerned Scientists invites you to a free symposium focusing on identifying and removing barriers to citizen access to governmental scientific information on Tuesday, September 25. You can attend via webcast or in person at the Newseum in Washington, DC. As space is limited, people who register by September 12 will receive first priority.

We have a great line-up of speakers, including: The Honorable John Porter, Research!America Chair and former representative (R-IL) Representative Ed Markey (D-MA) National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Adminstrator Jane Lubchenco USA Today Reporter Dan Vergano Consumer Product Safety Commission Chair Inez Tenenbaum Curtis Brainard of the Columbia Journalism Review

The symposium will run from 8:30 a.m. – noon EDT, with breakfast available to in-person attendees at 8:00 a.m.

The event is co-sponsored by the UCS Center for Science and Democracy and the First Amendment Center.

The symposium will be preceded by two events: A webinar on Wednesday, September 19, at 2:00 p.m. EDT (note date change). To kick off the series, UCS will host a webinar to highlight the consequences of inadequate access to government scientific information and recent attempts to restrict access. The webinar will feature reporter Joe Davis from the Society of Environmental Journalists and Daniel Schuman from the Sunlight Foundation. A conference call on Monday, September 24, at 7:00 p.m. EDT. UCS will introduce Dr. Andrew Rosenberg, the new director of the UCS Center for Science and Democracy, and provide insight as to how the new center plans to address the challenge of access to government data.

Click here for the agenda and more information on the forum. We look forward to you joining us and contributing to the conversation!

For more information, please contact Pallavi Phartiyal at pphartiyal@ucsusa.org.

~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

UCS …

08/02/2012 Nativegrl77

The 2012 Drought in America, Worst in Fifty Years

The United States is experiencing its worst drought in half a century, with serious and far-reaching implications for everything from food supplies to electricity production, biofuels to property values. To raise awareness of the drought’s impacts, the Union of Concerned Scientists is featuring a series of blog posts that explores the science and potential consequences of this historic event.