Doctor Lubchenco was not a scientist who I was familiar with prior to this course. However, through class lectures, reading her article “Entering the Century of the Environment: A new Social Contract for Science,” and her key note presentation at the Academic Engagement Michigan Meeting, I have come to admire and respect her ideas on the role of science in policy making. Since 1998, Doctor. Lubchenco has argued that rapid changes in our environment have made it mandatory for a new social contract for scientists. She states that scientists, and all humans for that matter, must realize that our planet is changing in an unprecedented way. There also must be a continued interest in scientific discovery by all. Additionally, Doctor. Lubchenco argues that in addition to the typical uses of science to “discover, communicate, and use knowledge to train the next generation of scientists,” it is scientist’s responsibility to effectively communicate scientific findings to the public through her proposed social contract. (Lubchenco, 1998) …show more content…
Globalization, and other factors have homogenized the world both biotically and culturally. Making the depletion of natural resources easier than any other time in history. Population growth has also contributed to the increased pace of resource consumption. Many scientist believe that humans have altered the environment so much that we are now in a new geologic time period called the Holocene, and have greatly disrupted many natural Earth’s cycles. Doctor Vitousek has documented these changes and developed 6 conclusions. The most shocking to me being, “approximately two-thirds of major marine fisheries are fully exploited, overexploited, or depleted.” (Lubchenco,