Disruption Discovered

The implicit arrangement between science and society—funding and autonomy in exchange for substantial but unpredictable benefits—is under strain. Canadians are increasingly skeptical that scientists conduct themselves ethically, or that the government is capable of regulating disruptive technologies. Jeff Kinder discusses what a reinvigorated social contract between science and society could look like, and how finding new ways to involve the public scientific priorities could help to restore public confidence. Contact the Institute on Governance

Keeping global temperatures to safe levels will require unlikely and disruptive discoveries from unexpected places. Medicine is a promising frontier. Kin Chan discusses his medical research on DNA damage and cancer, and explains how an enzyme that he discovered could eventually help pave the way for a new generation of low-carbon fuels. Recommendations: Mechanisms of Mutagenesis by Kin Chan

A melting Arctic is opening up Canadian waters and coastlines to the world. Canada needs a vision for how it will handle this new activity and build out the necessary infrastructure in previously inaccessible locations. Jackie Dawson explains what a Canadian vision for the Arctic might include, and what makes crafting policy for Canada’s North such a unique challenge. Recommendations: Special Report on the Ocean and Cryosphere in a Changing Climate by the IPCC ArcticNet Portal

The Arctic is warming at twice the global average. In the Canadian Arctic, it's three times the global average. Jackie Dawson explains the scale of this transformation, and what a melting Arctic means for the future of trade, geopolitics, and Northern communities.

Climate change is the ultimate disruptor. On timescales that matter for people alive today, it’s a question of slowing climate change down rather than “solving” or “fixing” it. Geoengineering might be our most drastic option. Jason Blackstock explains the potential scientific and geopolitical implications of geoengineering, and explores future scenarios that will influence the public perception of the technology. Recommendations: Geoengineering the Climate: Science, Governance and Uncertainty by the Royal Society The Planet Remade by Oliver Morton Publications from the International Institute for Advanced Sustainability Studies Time for a Global Discussion on Climate Geoengineering by Janos Pasztor

Nations constantly make decisions about national security in the face of uncertainty or incomplete information. The outcomes of these decisions are often unpredictable, and success is often invisible. Mark Salter explains how the national security apparatus is built to withstand disruption and why Canadians’ sense of what constitutes a national security threat is a reflection of our culture and values. Recommendations: Slow Violence and the Environmentalism of the Poor by Rob Nixon The Right to be Cold by Sheila Watt-Cloutier

Misinformation is influencing public opinion, decision making, and even geopolitics. And it’s not just coming from Facebook and Twitter—it’s coming from our political leaders. Yet our ability to detect misinformation is diminishing.  Kimberly Girling discusses the disruptive influence of misinformation on societies, and explains what individuals can do to help stem the tide of misinformation.  Recommendations: Why I’m done saying ‘fake news’ by Katie Gibbs Truth Toolkit: How to Combat Misinformation by Evidence for Democracy Too Dumb for Democracy? by David Moscrop

Canada-China relations are in uncharted territory. To understand the current tangle of trade disputes and hostage diplomacy, it helps to go back to the beginning. Margaret McCuaig-Johnston traces Canada's relationship with China back to the establishment of formal diplomatic ties in 1970, discusses China's scientific ambitions, and lays out the stakes of Huawei's 5G bid. Recommendations: The Third Revolution by Elizabeth Economy Two Tears on the Window by Julia and Kevin Garratt

Big data can dramatically improve decision-making, but the design and imagining of what we can and should use big data for is happening largely outside of the purview of public debate.  Kelly Bronson explains big data's arrival in the public sphere and—using Canada’s agricultural sector as case study—discusses how the use of big data is pushing us towards specific types of food production, and how more inclusive and effective use of big data can produce better social outcomes.  Recommendations: Custodians of the Internet by Tarleton Gillespie  Surveillance Capitalism By Shoshana Zuboff  Automating Inequality by Virginia Eubanks  The Immaculate Conception of Data by Kelly Bronson (forthcoming)

We live in an era of information abundance. But converting information into knowledge and applying that knowledge to improve society are massive tasks. Marc Saner explains the challenge of turning increasingly complex scientific knowledge into tangible benefits, what it means to seek knowledge responsibly, and how Canada can better use expertise to make decisions in the public interest. Recommendations: Rashomon by Akira Kurosawa Difficult Conversations by Douglas Stone, Bruce Patton and Sheila Heen

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