Environmental Law Professor Dan Rohlf Fights for Scientific Integrity
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From climate change to endangered species, renewable energy to water and air protections, 2017 has seen a dramatic and worrisome increase in the assault on science and the role it plays in shaping public policy. In the trenches of that battle is Dan Rohlf, geologist turned environmental law professor, and coauthor of a new paper, “Defending the scientific integrity of conservation-policy processes,” in the journal Conservation Biology.
Rohlf is cofounder and of counsel to the Earthrise Law Center at Lewis & Clark, which “provides low or no cost legal services for nonprofit conservation organizations in virtually the entire spectrum of environmental and natural resources law, from protecting endangered species and ecosystems to preventing and reducing air and water pollution.” In his teaching and research, Rohlf focuses on biodiversity management and conservation, sustainability, and the intersection between science and law.
The paper looks at how policymakers ignore or discount science and what possible remedies might exist, and has already garnered national attention. Rohlf recently sat down with Jefferson Public Radio in Southern Oregon to talk about his research.
