SCIENTIFIC ELITES AND THE MAKING OF UNITED-STATES-POLICY FOR CLIMATE-CHANGE RESEARCH, 1957-74

This paper presents a case study of the role of scientific elites in m ediating between science and politics, securing support for research a nd shaping the interests of the rank and file. We apply a 'garbage can ' model. which posits that science, policy and politics typically evol ve in separate, unconnected streams, each with its own momentum. In th is model, elites may act strategically as 'policy entrepreneurs' to ta ke advantage of occasional temporary opportunities, or 'windows', to i nfluence the policy and science streams. Our case study is of US polic y to ward research related to the Greenhouse Effect, from the Internat ional Geophysical Year in 1957 to the aftermath of the 1972 UN Confere nce on the Human Environment.1 We trace the evolution of two research programmes - carbon-cycle research and atmospheric modelling. The majo r political strategies followed by the relevant elites connected with these programmes were concerned with the pursuit of professional auton omy, with weather modification and with environmentalism. Changes in e lite strategy followed mainly from events outside science, in the poli cy and politics 'streams', rather than from scientific findings.