Those attending the policy sessions at the TOS Hawaii meeting came away with a strong reminder of the real source of research monies—the American taxpayer. As scientists, one of our greatest responsibilities is to help people make informed decisions based on what science indicates are the consequences of particular actions or inactions. We live in an era of metaphorical fires, such as global warming, fisheries collapse, and ozone depletion. We must educate the population that the wisdom of preventing fires is more valuable than the glory of stamping out fires. We must also educate the public to see through wildfires created by sensationalism rather than scientific controversy, such as natural disaster predictions made by unqualified individuals.

Beegle, C.J. 1995. Fires and funds: A young scientist’s perspective. Oceanography 8(1):34, https://doi.org/10.5670/oceanog.1995.35.

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