如果要让可持续发展成为一个现实的目标，把关键科学信息简单传播给公众的方式就需要改善。

　　The simple communication of key scientific information to the public needs to be improved if sustainable development is to be a realistic goal.

　　有效的科学传播对知情决策与参与决策是至关重要的，特别是对发展中国家而言。科学加速迈向更专业化复杂化的需要正变的越来越迫切，即使是发展中国家也不例外。

　　Effective science communication is crucial to informed and participatory policymaking, especially in developing countries. The need is becoming increasingly urgent as science accelerates towards greater specialisation and complexity, even in the developing world.

　　这种发展速度已经超过了传统模式，在这种模式下科学只有在研究成果已建立完善的基础上才能顺畅的传播给大众。

　　The speed of this evolution has overtaken the traditional model, under which science was not normally communicated to the public until research results had become well established.

　　为了解决这些问题，一次主题为“科学传播与科学决策”的研讨会上月在北京举办，会议是由科学与发展网络（Scidev.Net）与当地的合作方—包括中国科协－清华大学科技传播与普及研究中心、中国科技信息研究所、中科院研究生院科学传播中心等—组织，由英国驻华大使馆资助。

　　To address these issues, a symposium — 'Science Communication and Scientific Policy Making', was held in Beijing last month, organised by SciDev.Net and its local partners with funding from the British Embassy in Beijing.

　　这次会议达成的共识就是不能只把不断发展的科学传播简单的运用在学术圈内，科学必须进入到公众领域，因为科学对一系列受政策影响的人们发挥着越来越大的作用。

　　The consensus was that these could not be handled simply by developing science communication within academic circles: science must move into the public domain as it contributes more and more to a range of policies that affect the people.

　　很多政策领域都依赖可靠的科学知识传播。比如，新建一个化工厂或磁悬浮列车的相关制度、转基因作物商业化的决议、以及推广环境保护与节约能源意识。

　　Many policy areas depend on the spread of reliable scientific knowledge. For example, regulations for building a new chemical plant or a maglev train, decisions on the commercialisation of genetically modified (GM) crops, or boosting environmental protection and energy saving.

　　在发达国家也有类似的问题存在。例如，来自伦敦科学媒体中心的Fiona Fox在研讨会上说到，英国的科学家们对公众提出的像“疯牛病”、转基因作物等问题的回答并不恰当——由此造成错误与谣言频繁出现。

　　The problem is already familiar in developed countries. For example, Fiona Fox, director of the London-based Science Media Centre, told the symposium that British scientists responded inadequately to public questioning on issues such as 'mad cow' disease and GM crops — with the result that inaccuracies and hearsay became commonplace.

　　公众听证会

　　Public hearings

　　在像中国这样的快速发展的国家，这种情况会更加复杂。公众参与关系民生政策的需求会不断增长。然而政府部门透露信息的意愿，以及科学家以一种可理解的方式去传播相关科学的行为并没有同步发展。

　　The situation in rapidly developing countries such as China could be more complicated. There is a growing public desire to participate in, if not control, policies that impact on people's lives. But this has not been accompanied by a willingness on the part of the government to reveal information, or by scientists to communicate the relevant science in an understandable way.

　　来自中科院研究生院的李大光在研讨会上提出一种解决方法，他提议中国在与科学问题相关的决策中应该通过公开听证会进行尝试。

　　One remedy was proposed at the symposium by Li Daguang, from the Science Communication Centre of the Graduate University of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, who suggested that China should experiment with public hearings on policymaking related to scientific issues.

　　李大光提到了一个受到局限的例子，居民反对建立存在污染可能的PX化工厂的公开抗议，这个工厂起初打算建在中国东南部沿海城市厦门郊区。

　　As an example of the potential — and current limitations — of this approach, Li pointed to recent public protests by residents against a potentially polluting chemical plant, originally planned for a suburb of the coastal city of Xiamen, southeast China.

　　当地政府答应举办一个公开听证会。然而在听证会上，由政府委托的环境专家说的都是些技术上的术语，断言该化工厂是安全的，但他们很少使用在场群众能够理解的语言。

　　The local government agreed to hold a public hearing. But at the hearing, environmental experts commissioned by the government spoke entirely in technical jargon, arguing that the plant would be safe, but using language that few in the audience would have been able to understand.

　　最终该工厂由于强大的公众压力而暂停，然而，李大光指出，该听证程序还是很难让人满意。

　　Eventually the plant was suspended as a result of strong public pressure. But, as Li pointed out, the procedure was far from satisfactory.

　　主流的传播模式

　　Dominant model

　　研讨会的其他一些演讲人指出传播者应该使自身有足够的能力去判定是否应该让大众参与到这个过程中来。

　　Some other speakers at the symposium pointed out that the communicators should themselves be powerful enough to decide whether to involve the public in the process.

　　清华大学刘兵在他概括的科学传播理论的演讲中指出，主流的传播模式鼓励公众参与到科学发展之中。公众参与有关科学过程的决策的发展策略已经在全球范围得到科学传播者的广泛应用。#p#分页标题#e#

　　In a speech outlining the theory of science communication, Liu Bing of Tsinghua University argued that the dominant model encourages public participation in science development. It has been used by science communicators worldwide to develop strategies for involving the public in decisions relating to science progress.

　　据李大光所说，中国社会似乎做好了采取这一模式的准备。今年她在中国江苏省和云南省进行的一项调查发现，公众特别渴望能够参与到任何与当地重要科学相关项目的公开听证会中。

　　According to Li, Chinese society seems ready to adopt this model. In a survey conducted in Jiangsu and Yunnan provinces in China earlier this year, Li found that people would be keen to participate in any public hearing on an important local science-related project.

　　然而在这一研讨会中，人们也清楚地认识到，要让科学传播能有效促进公众知情参与决策，还需要进行很多改革，这其中也包含了官方愿意让公众能参与到科学相关问题中的意愿。

　　But it also became clear from the symposium that before science communication can become effective in promoting informed public participation in policymaking, many changes are needed — including willingness by government officials to involve the public in science-related issues.

　　另外一个问题是要改善科学传播与科学普及的方法。目前，这主要是由政府实施的，这就意味着这是由高层官员与主要专家们来决定大众的需要。

　　Another would be to revise the approach to science communication and popularisation. At present, this is mainly handled by the government, which means it is sanctioned for public consumption by top officials and leading experts.

　　然而，中科院政策与管理研究所的副研究员朱效民在研讨会上说，由领导者们设置的优先事务有时与基层群体的需求是不协调的。

　　But Zhu Xiaomin, a researcher at the Institute of Policy and Management of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, told the symposium that priorities set by leaders are sometimes inconsistent with the requirements of the grassroots community.

　　举例来说，在北京的远郊地区，科学传播者们发现他们必须出钱才能让农民们参加有关科学的讲座，这是因为这些农民们觉得这是在浪费他们挣钱的时间。

　　In Beijing's rural suburbs, for example, science communicators found that they had to pay farmers to participate in lectures on science because the farmers felt they would be wasting time they could be using to make money.

　　实践的观点

　　Practical points

　　这次研讨会总的观点是科学传播应该是由具体事件和需求来决定。在需要公众参与到科学相关政策时，决策者（或他们背后的专家）们应该让大众知晓该科学的相关方面——例如潜在的污染可能——并以通俗易懂的方式告知他们。

　　The general view of the symposium was that science communication should be driven by events and demand. When the public need to be involved in science-related policies, decision-makers (or the experts behind them) should inform the public about the scientific aspects — such as potential pollution — in straightforward terms.

　　在有关科学相关问题的公众听证会中，也应该遵守适当的程序。在这样的听证会中要选取广泛的公众代表，并给予代表充分时间来表达他们合理的忧虑。例如，在厦门PX化工厂案例中，挑选了100名代表，然而给时间讲话的人却不多，而且每个人讲话时间还被限定在5分钟以内。

　　Appropriate procedures should also be observed at public hearings on science-related issues. A wide selection from the public should be represented at such hearings, and delegates should be allowed time to express their reasonable concerns. In the Xiamen chemical-plant case, for example, 100 delegates were chosen, but few were given time to speak and their presentations were each limited to five minutes.

　　公众的讨论还应该避免使用科学术语而不丧失必要的科学内涵。应该在一开始就采纳一种将意见和结论建立在科学证据上的态度。

　　Debates should avoid scientific jargon without sacrificing scientific content. A willingness to base suggestions and conclusions on scientific evidence — interpreted in a comprehensible way — should be adopted from the start.

　　比如，在转基因作物这一案例中，公众的合理担忧不应该用于夸大转基因作物未证明的健康威胁或者是破坏对其安全性的确信。

　　In the case of GM crops, for example, reasonable public concerns should not be used to exaggerate their unproven health risk or to undermine the established understanding of their safety.

　　让公众参与科学相关问题的决策过程并不容易。但是对发展中国家的科学传播者来说这是一项必需完成的任务，他们的努力将会引导科学与技术运用于可持续发展。

　　Involving the public in decision-making on scientific issues is not easy. But it is an essential task for science communicators in the developing world, whose efforts will guide the use of science and technology in sustainable development.

　　本文由科学与发展网络(SciDev.Net)独家提供。

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