When Science and Society Meet

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/7225451.stm


I found this article on BBC News, where it addresses how even past Oil Company tycoons are supporting more fuel efficient cars. While the people who make these cars opposes a regulation that would force them to produce cars that get more miles per gallon, a former oil company chairman (who would also lose money from such a regulation) supports such an idea. I thought this article was interesting in that it combined societal interests (making money and having luxury cars that usually use more gas) and scientific findings (that pollution from cars is a serious environmental problem). By writing science in a way that applies to everyday life and showing how results from scientific studies can directly affect citizens is an effective means of communication. It allows people to see how their actions directly affect the world, using data to support such findings such as global warming. The article also turns to science to help come up with solutions, such as creating electric cars, which won't deplete non-renewable energy resources.