Ethics and Responsibility in Science 2

Question 1

When trying to understand the chemical impact of a process, what might we try to consider?

Answer 1

• The Sustainable Development Goals
• The abundance of the 90 natural elements which make up everything - finite supply?
• Energy?
• Geographical distribution
• Stability of supply
• Influence

Question 2

What does the sustainability of energy production depend upon?

Answer 2

• Geographial control of supply/influence and impact
• Stability of supply
• Air miles
• Multiple impacts on SDG and environment
• Demand on elements required to give us this technology BUT reduce demand for elements previously used to give combustion (i.e. Pt in catalytic converters)

Question 3

What does the transtition towards renewable depend on

Answer 3

• Infrastructure available
• Availability of metals like Cd, Nd, Si etc for batteries
• Displacement of risk,e.g. recent example in spain of everything stopping due to a power cut
• Storage and distribution networks - Smart Grids

Question 4

What is a small nuclear reactor (SMR)

Answer 4

• It is a small modular reactor (SMR) which is a compact nuclear power station designed to be more flexible, cost-effective, and quicker to deploy than traditional large nuclear reactors (470 mW vs 1000 mW)

Question 5

What does the sustainability of the small nuclear reactor depend on?

Answer 5

• Are decisions based upon science and data?
• Displacement?
• Risk vs Reward?
• Green or Sustainable - No discharge to atmosphere/environment (smoke, dust, ash)
• Staggering energy yield - but is it all good?

Question 6

Why is decision making in Chemistry a complex process?

Answer 6

• Metric systems tend to emphasis one specific facet of a process, multiple metrics must be used to build a picture of the relative interactions and impacts - Planetary boundaries as an example
• Multi-impacts - require complex network analysis - LCA - all are retrospective and require data, often large data to inform choice

Question 7

What are the nine planetary boundaries?

Answer 7

• Climate Change
• Freshwater Change
• Stratospheric Ozone depletion
• Atmospheric Aerosol loading
• Ocean Acidification
• Biogeochemical flows
• Novel entities (stuff being produced by us, plastics etc)
• Land-system change
• Biosphere integrity

Question 8

What is the purpose of the nine planetary boundaries?

Answer 8

• It is a multifaceted domain based approach
• Some domain are currently quantifiable - others not
• Evaluated impacts of complex linked systems
• BUT can take years for the impact to evolve or to be measured

Question 9

How have the planetary boundaries changed since 2009-2015?

Answer 9

Question 10

The decipline you are based within can define…

Answer 10

… the optics through which we identify and recognise challenges

Question 11

A report called ‘On Being a Scientist: A Guide to Responsibility Conduct in Research’ - USNAS, 2009, speaks upon the scientific enterprise being built on a foundation of trust, why?

Answer 11

• ‘Appropriate analytic and statistical techniques, have reported their results accurately, and have treated the work of other researchers with respect’
• ‘Misplaced trust… would impact the relationship between science and society’

Question 12

What can ethics in science dictate?

Answer 12

• Motivation, honest, integrity, and economic gain

Question 13

The Nolan Principles of Public Life are 7 principles all olders of public office should adhere to, defined by the Nolan Committee
What are they?

Answer 13

• Selflessness
• Integrity
• Objectivity
• Accountability
• Openness
• Honesty
• Leadership

Question 14

Ethics for scientists can include: Rigour, Respect and Responsibility
Define each aspect…

Answer 14

• Rigour: Act with skill/care, keep skills up to date; prevent corrupt practice & declare conflicts of interest; respect + acknowledge the work of other scientists
• Respect: Ensure that reasearch is justified/lawful; minimis impacts on people, animals + environment
• Responsibility: Discuss issues sceince raises for society; Do not mislead + present evidence honestly

Question 15

What are Neonicotinoids

Answer 15

They molecules defeat bugs eating the shoots of oil seed rape, which therefore increase the viability of seed germination

Question 16

What are some benefits of neonicotinoids?

Answer 16

• Neonictinoids most often applied to the soil and are translocated through the entire plant
• Variety of appliation methods: soil drench, irrigation, seed treatment, tree injection
• Safer to mammals and birds (selective-binding to insects)

Question 17

What are some disadvantages of Neonictinoids?

Answer 17

• Neonicotinoids most often applied to the soil and are translocated to pollen and nectar
• Harmful against all benefical insects eating pollen/nectar
• Long lasting residual effects in pollen, nectar, leaves, soil
• Bayer argues 20 ppb imidaclorpid will not affect mortality, but will affect behavoir
• However farmers will apply more believing the better the crop yeild - however increases the amount of runoff

Question 18

What did the use of Neonicotinoids cause?

Answer 18

• Declines in the Bee populations
• The registration of the chemical was based on a Bayer study which was later found by beekeepers to be deficient and later EPA argreed
• Insecticide seed coating dust extremely toxic to bees deducted in new studied (EFSA, 2013)
• Insecticides used contributed to weakened immue systems, increased susceptibility to pathogens

Question 19

How does the use of Neonicotinoids relate to the Triple bottom line

Answer 19

• Meets the economic goal due to increased productivity of fields for food production
• Meets the social goal of food production
• However ignored the planetary tension here through affecting pollinator populations

Question 20

Neonicotinoids were then banned
What was the unintended consequences of this?

Answer 20

• Rising prices of cooking oils are the productivity of rape seed oil was now reduced
• Farmers were having to use 3x the amount of seed for the same amount of oil production

Question 21

What did the Paracelsus (1493-1541) say about toxicology?

Answer 21

“The dose makes the poison”

Question 22

What is the equation for risk

Answer 22

Question 23

How does green chemistry suggest we reduce risk?

Answer 23

By minimising the hazard, the risk becomes zero

Question 24

How does responsible research and innovation link to risk?

Answer 24

Approach needs to be foward looking rather than reterospective
And this requires the prior identificaton of risk (i.e. identification of the risk to bees with neonictinoids)

Question 25

What are some core benefits to responsible research and innovation (RRI)?

Answer 25

* Aims to better align research and innovation with wider societal values & needs * Opens R&I up to a wider range of people, expertise, and questions to shape the R&I pathway * Encourages connections between researchers/innovations & other stakeholders throughout the whole R&I process

Question 26

what is core to what research and innovation is driven by? And why is it important to have a relationship between science and society?

Answer 26

* Driven by a complex network of different stakeholders * To ensure science is progressing in the direction which is aligned to the public and societal good

Question 27

Define Responsible Research and Innovation (RRI) in a nutshell?

Answer 27

"Broadly speaking, representations of RRI focus on the **anticipation of positive and negative impacts** of emerging technologies, **reflection on the societal and ethical dimension** of technological developments and the **inclusion of diverse actors** in the agenda setting and research and innovation process"

Question 28

Platinum exists within catalystic converters within cars What is a negative externality of this?

Answer 28

* The platinum breaks down overtime, incorporating into road dust * This has then bioaccumulated into humans * The amount of platinum within a blood sample can provide evidence of how far you live from a road

Question 29

The Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council and the Biotechnological and Biological Sciences Research council created a framework for responsible research and innovation in the UK context What is it?

Answer 29

* Anticipation * Reflection * Engagement/Inclusion * Action/Responsiveness

Question 30

The Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council and the Biotechnological and Biological Sciences Research council created a framework for responsible research and innovation in the UK context What does the anticipate stand for?

Answer 30

* Anticipate - describing and analysing the impacts, intended or otherwise, (for example, economic, social and environmental) that might arise * This does not seek to predict but rather to support an exploration of possible mpacts and implications that may otherwise remain uncovered and little discussed

Question 31

The Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council and the Biotechnological and Biological Sciences Research council created a framework for responsible research and innovation in the UK context What does the Reflect stand for?

Answer 31

* Reflect: reflecting on the purposes of, motivations for and potential implications of the research, and the associated uncertainties, areas of ignorance, assumptions, framings, questions, dilemmas and social transformations these may bring

Question 32

The Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council and the Biotechnological and Biological Sciences Research council created a framework for responsible research and innovation in the UK context What does the Engage stand for?

Answer 32

* Opening up such visions, impacts and questioning to broader deliberation, dialogue, engagement and debate in an inclusive way

Question 33

The Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council and the Biotechnological and Biological Sciences Research council created a framework for responsible research and innovation in the UK context What does the Act stand for?

Answer 33

* Act - using these processes to influence the direction and trajectory of the research and innovation process itself

Question 34

Why in diversity and inclusion important in RRI?

Answer 34

* Involving a wide range of stakeholders in the early development of research, particuarly in science and technology * Broadening the diversifying the sources of knowledge, expertise, disiplines and perspectives

Question 35

Why is Openess and Transparency important in RRI?

Answer 35

* Open clear communication is about: the nature of R&I, funding/resources, decision making and governance * To build public trust in science, innovation and politics, and vice versa, and multual understanding

Question 36

Why is Anticipation and Reflexivity important in RRI?

Answer 36

* Considering the environmental, economic and social impact of the research/innovation project, from short-term to long-term impacts * Reflecting on individual and institutional values, assumptions, practices and responsibilities