Standing up for science in an age of political interference

Abstract

Science is under siege. Political forces are undermining expertise, dismantling research institutions, and replacing evidence based policymaking with ideology. This is a global crisis. The covid-19 pandemic underscored the importance of scientific independence. While vaccines, diagnostics, and therapeutics saved many lives, governments that ignored expert advice and downplayed the threat allowed lives to be lost. Sometimes, it became a political battleground as public health experts were vilified and disinformation flourished, with deadly consequences.1 In the US, history is currently being rewritten. Life-saving vaccines are falsely being portrayed as harmful, and researchers are being demonised. Scientific institutions are in disarray, with frozen research grants, staff dismissals, and defunded public health agencies.2 Disinformation is rampant, damaging domestic research and international collaborations. The erosion of scientific credibility threatens global health. This assault on science is also evident in Europe.3 Climate science, vaccine policies, and social research are under attack as populist politicians seek to control narratives rather than confront inconvenient truths. Their strategy is clear. Delegitimise expertise, suppress evidence, and replace objective reality with ideological fictions. The loss of public trust in science threatens everyone. The scientific community cannot remain passive. European nations, having previously faced such threats from Nazi Germany4 …