科學家擔心特朗普損害美國科學發展

Threats to the future of US science dominated discussion at the first big gathering of researchers since President Donald Trump took office.

在美國總統唐納德?特朗普(Donald Trump)上任以來的首個科研人員大會上，美國科學前景面臨的威脅成爲主要議題。

The scientific community at this year’s American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) annual meeting expressed fears about the new administration. Their concerns ranged from the White House’s reluctance to accept scientific evidence to an anticipated assault on parts of the federal research budget as well as hostility to immigrants on whom US science depends.

在今年的美國科學促進會(American Association for the Advancement of Science)年會上，科學界表達了對美國新政府的擔憂。他們擔心的問題多種多樣，從白宮不願認可科學證據，到聯邦研究預算的某些部分預計會遭受重創，另外還有美國科學所仰仗的外來移民遭遇的敵意。

“This is the first time in my 50-year career that I have seen people speaking up for science per se rather than about particular issues such as nuclear weapons,” Rush Holt, AAAS chief executive, said at the meeting in Boston. “I have never seen scientists more concerned about the process of science — and not just about where their grants are going to come from,” Mr Holt, a former physicist and Democratic congressman, said.

美國科學促進會首席執行官拉什?霍爾特(Rush Holt)在這次於波士頓召開的會議上表示：“在我50年的職業生涯中，這是我頭一次看到人們發聲力挺科學本身，而不是談論核武器等具體議題。”曾是物理學家和民主黨衆議員的霍爾特說：“我從未見過科學家如此擔心科學的發展，而不僅僅是他們的經費將從哪裏來。”

Veteran attendees of AAAS conferences said they had never before felt such an atmosphere of anxiety. “All of us in this room know there is a great threat to science and scientific integrity,” Kenneth Kimmell, president of the Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS), a grassroots advocacy organisation, told a packed session entitled “Defending science and scientific integrity in the age of Trump”.

曾多次參加美國科學促進會會議的與會者表示，以往會議上從未出現過這樣的焦慮氣氛。在一個參與者衆多、名爲“在特朗普時代捍衛科學和科學完整性”(Defending science and scientific integrity in the age of Trump)的主題會議上，草根倡議組織“憂思科學家聯盟”(Union of Concerned Scientists)的總裁肯尼思?基梅爾(Kenneth Kimmell)表示：“這間屋子裏的人都清楚，科學和科學完整性正面臨巨大威脅。”

“I have not seen anything like it in my lifetime,” said Mr Kimmell. “The days of carefully nuanced communication are over. We need to pack an emotional punch in speaking for science. Donald Trump is not pulling his punches and nor should we.”

基梅爾表示：“我這輩子從未見過這樣的事。謹慎細緻溝通的時代結束了。我們需要動之以情、發聲力挺科學。唐納德?特朗普不會收回他的拳頭，我們也不應該收回。”

Scientists see a variety of troubling signs. These include the exclusion from meetings in the US of scientists with certain profiles, particularly individuals from mainly Muslim countries, restrictions on communication by federal scientists with other researchers and the public, and, as Mr Holt put it, “policymaking that is based on ideological assertion rather than on verifiable evidence. Public officials citing ‘alternative facts’ leave scientists dismayed”.

科學家看到了各種令人憂心的徵兆，包括禁止特定背景的科學家（尤其是來自穆斯林國家的人）參加在美召開的會議，限制聯邦科學家與其他研究人員及公衆溝通，還有就是像霍爾特所說的，“基於意識形態斷言而不是可驗證的證據來制定政策。公共官員援引‘另類事實’，令科學家感到沮喪”。

There are also concerns that Mr Trump and the Republican-dominated Congress will impose big cuts in science spending, with environmental and climate research and public health likely to be hit hardest.

還有人擔心，特朗普和共和黨主導的國會會大幅削減科研開支，環境與氣候研究以及公共健康很可能將首當其衝。

In fact, President Trump has so far said almost nothing directly about science and has not yet appointed a chief scientist or science advisers. Nor has he engaged with senior scientific bodies such as the US National Academy of Sciences, in contrast to past incoming presidents of both political parties.

事實上，到目前爲止特朗普總統幾乎從未直接談及科學，而且也仍未任命一位首席科學家或科學顧問。此外，他也沒與美國國家科學院(National Academy of Sciences)等高級科研機構接觸，這與兩黨過去的新任總統都形成鮮明對比。

This silence is disconcerting, according to Mr Holt. “Our concern is that the government will not have the scientific advice it needs,” he said. “If there is a crisis, advice from experts will be needed immediately.”

霍爾特表示，這種沉默令人不安。他說：“我們擔心，政府將得不到所需的科學建議。如果發生危機，需要馬上得到專家的建議。”

Not everyone is worried yet. Eric Lander, head of Boston’s Broad Institute, a leading molecular biology laboratory, told the FT: “As a scientist, I am in favour of waiting for evidence before drawing conclusions about President Trump and science.”

不過，並非所有人都感到擔憂。頂尖分子生物學實驗室波士頓布羅德研究所(Broad Institute)所長埃裏克?蘭德(Eric Lander)向英國《金融時報》表示：“作爲科學家，我傾向於等待證據，然後再對特朗普和科學下結論。”

When one conference participant labelled the US government “authoritarian” and “fascist” during the AAAS meeting, he was reproached by Kurt Gottfried, a co-founder of the UCS who was a child in Vienna when the Austrian capital was under Nazi control. “I want to warn you against overstating the case against Trump,” the physicist said.

當一名與會者在美國科學促進會會議期間爲這屆美國政府貼上“威權”和“法西斯主義者”的標籤時，他受到了憂思科學家聯盟共同創始人庫爾特?戈特弗裏德(Kurt Gottfried)的責備。這位物理學家表示：“我想提醒你一下，不要誇大了反對特朗普的理由。”戈特弗裏德童年時代生活在奧地利首都維也納，當時這座城市是在納粹(Nazi)掌控之下。

Scientists are increasingly taking their concerns to the streets in demonstrations, including one with hundreds of protesters in central Boston on Sunday. These will culminate in a March for Science on April 22, Earth Day, in cities across the US and worldwide.

越來越多的科學家正通過街頭示威來表達他們的擔憂，其中包括上週日在波士頓市中心舉行的、有成百上千抗議者參加的一次示威。示威活動將在4月22日“世界地球日”(Earth Day)這天達到高潮，屆時全美及世界各地的城市將舉行“挺科學遊行”(March for Science)。

Some researchers are concerned the March for Science might be counterproductive and turn people against scientists, if they appear self-interested and politically partisan. “I am not going to march for science,” said James Gates, physics professor at the University of Maryland. “To have science represented as a political force is dangerous, and I don’t understand how the organisers of the march can guard against provocateurs.”

部分科研人員擔心，“挺科學遊行”可能會產生反效果並讓人們轉而反對科學家——假如科學家們表現得自私自利並在政治上抱團的話。馬里蘭大學(University of Maryland)物理學教授詹姆斯?蓋茨(James Gates)表示：“我不會參加‘挺科學遊行’。把科學呈現爲一股政治力量是危險的，我想象不出這場遊行的組織者如何能夠防範挑釁者。”

But the organisers say they are determined to prevent the march being portrayed as an anti-Trump event. “There are a lot of smart people thinking about how to make sure the march does not lead to a partisan image for scientists,” said Gretchen Goldman, research director at the UCS Centre for Science and Democracy.

不過，組織者們表示，他們決心防止這場遊行被描繪爲一次反特朗普的活動。憂思科學家聯盟科學與民主中心(Centre for Science and Democracy)研究主任格蕾琴?戈德曼(Gretchen Goldman)表示：“有很多聰明人正在思考如何確保這場遊行不會給人留下科學家結成朋黨的印象。”