The authors argue that the Canadian government’s Scientific Council, which synthesizes the best scientific evidence available for parliamentarians and members of government, needs much better evidence at its disposal to grapple with the global polycrisis. They outline five ways in which governments can more effectively utilize good evidence in policymaking: ask scientific advisors to “show their work”; move beyond traditional ad hoc advisory tables; create systems based on evidence; tailor evidence to the policy question rather than the policy question to available evidence; and implement a continuous cycle of knowledge production.
(Image from The Canadian Press/Ryan Remiorz)