Our Stand on Science

 

At WiRED International, we believe in science. All of our medical and health education modules are grounded in evidence-based science. Our recommendations for vaccinations, disease prevention, diagnostics and treatments are rooted firmly in science. Science offers a reliable and trusted means of inquiry, accumulating knowledge from one generation to the next, from one region to another, from one discipline to other disciplines. Science, a structured method of inquiry, abides by a rigorous set of procedures and offers a framework for viewing the world.

 

Unbelievably, the notion of science today is under attack in a country that has led the world in the science-based developments that are improving life on the planet. With severe cuts in research programs on health, climate, renewable energy, transportation, agriculture and more, the assault on science is real and material and not just the harmless expression of a quirky political philosophy.

 

The March for Science on April 22 will coincide with Earth Day, a celebration of environmental awareness that started nearly 50 years ago. The consequences of denying science, of denying climate change, of cutting scientific research and of silencing the voices of scientists will shatter the efforts of a forward- looking society to address the grave issues confronting the earth.

 

While WiRED’s focus on human health positions us naturally to be concerned over cuts to the National Institutes of Health and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, we also recognize the direct and significant impact on health that will arise from cuts to climate research at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. Abundant evidence on climate change reveals the spread of disease vectors and of droughts and floods on humans directly and on food production that leads to starvation and food insecurity. Extreme heat and drought, that made huge swaths of land uninhabitable in North Africa and the Middle East, are today contributing to mass migrations and to unprecedented refugee crises.

 

For 20 years, WiRED has been teaching populations around the world about disease prevention and good health practices. As an American non-governmental organization, we have proudly demonstrated the soft power of the United States — the abiding interests of a rich and compassionate country to help underserved regions achieve better health. It is difficult for us to understand and impossible for us to explain why our leaders would disparage and cripple the very institutions and agencies that have made our country an international leader in science-based, humanitarian programs that have helped improve the lives of millions of people on the planet.