Current Topics in Geosciences: Prof. Caspar Hirschi, HSG St. Gallen

A toxic mix: scientific uncertainty, political pressure and natural risks in the l’Aquila scandal

The trial against members of the Commissione Grandi Rischi after the devastating earthquake of L'Aquila in 2009 was widely condemned as an
assault on scientific experts. Many critics of the court overlooked, however, that the role of the accused experts before the earthquake was highly problematic for several reasons. Part of their failure lay in their inability to clearly define the limits of their scientific knowledge and to explain the consequences to the public. The lecture explores this problem and draws general conclusions for the communication of scientific uncertainty in public space.

Veranstaltung übernehmen als iCal